Gotham Academy
by SafirelV
Summary: Gotham Academy. Home to some of the most talented seventh through twelfth grade intellectuals in the country. Yeah, it's pretty prestigious all right. But it's just like any other normal high school – you know, if the student body keeps the grade point average at a constant 3.7. Pretty tough, isn't it? Well guess what? You've just been accepted. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Gotham Academy: Chapter I. Acceptance**

Gotham Academy. Home to some of the most talented seventh through twelfth grade intellectuals in the country. Yeah, it's pretty prestigious all right. But it's just like any other normal high school – you know, if the student body keep a grade point average at a constant 3.7. Pretty tough, isn't it? But you've just been accepted.

* * *

Artemis flipped through the mail she'd set down on the coffee table, trying to ignore the ever growing heap of bills. She almost passed over an envelope addressed to her as she separated out the mail. She thought she must've been seeing things since she didn't know anyone who'd possibly be sending mail to her- unless… no, he hadn't ever contacted them and never would. She stared at her name printed clearly on the surface of the envelope. _Artemis Crock_.

She turned the envelope over, her fingers poised to rip it open any second. But she had a feeling it was something important, it just felt like expensive paper, so she was careful not to rip its contents. She fished out a thick piece of cardstock paper. The creamy surface of the paper proved that it was way better quality than any mail she could possibly afford to send.

She held her breath as she unfolded the letter, anxious to know what it said. And as she read the words, a pit grew in her stomach, and she felt… disappointed. It was from Gotham Academy, the school she'd applied to a few months earlier. Easy enough, send in a transcript, fill in an application, write an essay… And they had _accepted _her.

Artemis knew she was supposed to be filling with pride about then and running around the apartment, elated to be moving up in the world, and gleefully telling the good news to her mother. But she wasn't happy, because the only reason she'd even applied was to keep her mother content, and she hadn't thought she'd actually get in.

She didn't want to change schools. Not when she finally started to fit in again. Some snobby school filled with rich kids and geniuses wasn't the place for her.

She crumpled up the letter and was about to toss it in the trashcan when her mom wheeled into the room.

"Artemis? What is that?" she asked.

"Just some mail for me Mom, nothing to worry about." She hated lying to her mom, and she wasn't very good at it either. She'd never been much good at it with anyone, in face. Anyone she cared about at least.

"Let me see it."

Artemis grudgingly handed over the letter, and her mom opened it up. The official Gotham Academy seal at the top gleamed in the light, and she saw her mother's eyes light up with joy.

"Artemis! You got in on a full scholarship!" she beamed. But then her face fell again, "But why were you about to throw it away?"

Artemis sighed, and turned away. She sat down on the couch to be level with her mom and finally replied, "I have friends at Gotham West and I just… I don't know if I'll fit in there."

"Oh Artemis. You'll fit in fine. They have an archery team, you can find out when tryouts are and sign up for it. And besides, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. I never got the chance to do anything like this when I was younger."

Her mother's eyes began to fill with tears and Artemis felt a pang of guilt for trying to throw away her acceptance letter. Her mom really cared about what was right for her, and she knew it was hard enough for her to try to and keep her daughters on the right track when she couldn't provide much for them at all.

"Alright mom, I'll go," she said softly, giving her mom a hug. _I'll go for you_, she wanted to say, but she kept it inside herself.

* * *

"I GOT IN! MOM! DAD! GOTHAM ACADEMY ACCEPTED ME!" Megan squealed, running around the house like a crazed fangirl who just discovered that her OTP was getting married.

"They say they want me to be in their English program… I ACTUALLY GOT IN!"

"That's nice honey," Megan's mom replied, picking up the new baby off the floor. The toddlers pulled on her skirt and she tried to cook the rest of the spaghetti without having to stop the baby from crying or break up a fight between the pre-teens and make sure the toddlers didn't get into the medicine cabinet one more time.

Megan sighed and walked up the stairs to her bedroom, clutching the acceptance letter. She was excited to go to Gotham Academy, but she resented the fact that her parents were too busy to share her excitement. She was sure they were proud of her; they just didn't have time or energy to show it.

Megan grabbed a pink suitcase from out of her closet and started to pack. Gotham was a long way away from where she lived, but she would be staying in one of the dorms there.

She worried a little about what her parents would do without her, but she decided they probably wouldn't notice the difference anyway. There were enough older teens in the house to take care of everything. She just needed to focus on her studies. If she worked hard enough, and was smart enough, maybe her parents would finally notice that she wasn't just another one of their kids. Maybe they'd see her as… special.

She sighed and plopped onto her bed next to her pink suitcase. These were silly delusions. She lifted her head from the white sheets on her bed with the black and red designs of vines on it, and looked out the window. The sunlight streamed in through the purple curtains and she looked at how happy the birds looked outside, hopping around on tree branches and singing so the world could share their joy.

A small smile spread across her face and she felt a little better. She continued to pack.

* * *

(A/N:) This is the first chapter for an AU I'm writing. For early updates, check out my tumblr :D There's a link on my profile.

Thank you for reading this and I hope you enjoyed it :) Care to leave a review?

-Safirel


	2. Chapter 2

**Gotham Academy Chapter Two**

"Oy, I think I'm in love," Wally West said as he stared across the school courtyard from his spot at the picnic table.

Dick Grayson, his nerdy best friend and resident rich boy, leaned over and grabbed a handful of chips from Wally's bag, stuffing a few in his mouth. Wally did the same but his table manners were much to be desired. Unlike Dick, he didn't have the decency to close his mouth and thus saliva fell over his lips, mixing with the food...making it soggy; it was a grotesque sight to say the least. Dick stuck out his tongue in disgust before turning to look at the girl Wally seemed to be swooning over. She was a redhead, a little taller than Wally actually. Cute, but not really his type.

"And remember what happened last time you said that?" Dick asked, his blue eyes lighting up with amusement.

"I was disillusioned!" Wally snapped back defensively.

Dick only chuckled and ate the last of the handful of chips.

It was freshman year for him, although he'd been going to Gotham Academy since seventh grade. His dad was rich, one of those socialites everyone wants to be associated with. With all that power, Mr. Wayne only cared about giving his son a bright future, starting with education. Although it certainly helped that Dick also had the brains to go there.

Wally was a whole different story. The redheaded, green-eyed sophomore came from Missouri, and was accepted for his academic achievement in science. He often said he got accepted because of his awesomeness, attractiveness, and for being an overall perfect human being. Although Dick had explained to him many times that "attractiveness" wasn't exactly a factor of selection for acceptance.

Suddenly, Dick jabbed Wally in the side sharply with his elbow.

"Dude! What was that-"

"She's coming this way!" Dick hissed.

Wally shoved his juiceboxes, empty chip bags, apple cores, and nutrition bars out of the way to put his elbow down on the table, cupping his face in his hand as he flashed a suave smile. Dick just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Hey there beautiful," Wally said, fixing his eyes on the girl. Her brown eyes lit up with amusement, "Hi! I'm Megan! What's your name?"

"I'm Wally, and that's Dick, but it's cool if you forget his name," he replied, pushing Dick aside before he could say anything. His friend crossed his arms and glowered at him. After a few more minutes of being ignored, he shrugged and pulled out his phone to resume texting.

* * *

Artemis straightened her navy blue skirt, slightly annoyed she even had to wear the stupid thing. In her mind it represented all those affluent families, driving in sports cars and acting like stuck-up royals... essentially the skirt she wore symbolized most of what she hated about society. Still, her mom seemed to be pretty happy when they went to buy the school uniform, how could she complain in front of her, her mother who'd already been through so much?

There weren't any school buses for Gotham Academy students... she had to take the city bus. Artemis wasn't exactly pleased with some of the looks she got as she boarded or the ones she'd endured as the bus rode on to her new school. She kept wishing the damn thing would hurry up and get to the stop so she could get away from these people. It didn't help that the guy who sat in front of her smelled as if he'd bathed in rotten milk and eggs.

She'd gotten off at a stop a few blocks from the school; she couldn't handle the ridicule from rich kids driving Rolls Royces, Ferraris, Porsches and , no one seemed to notice her at all.

As she turned the corner of the parking lot, she paused by something of an unusual sight.

"A... Delorean?" It was between two fancier cars, like a sore thumb... an outcast. She smiled; it pleased her in a weird way because this car was probably the closest thing she'd have to a friend, something that didn't fit in. Although... if she found the owner... she waved the thought away. She wasn't here to make friends, only tolerate.

The school towered above her, and she guessed it had to be at least six stories high. The school was in pristine condition, as if it had only been built yesterday, and the windows shone so brightly, the sunlight reflected like a blanket over her body. She looked like an angel, how ironic.

Kids stood around in clumps, reuniting with friends they hadn't seen in the last few months. There was screaming and giggling, shallow conversation all around. Artemis was nauseated. She wished, for a moment, that she was back at Gotham West, the dirt poor school where people said what they thought rather tip-toe around the facade of things like "frenemies" or "love games" with crushes. She wanted her comfortable raggedy jeans and her Coldplay t-shirt, she wanted to talk with her own friends. Or at least the people she didn't want to kill... Artemis didn't really have friends, more of a gang to watch her back... not anymore.

She stared at the doors, their size intimidated her, almost making her not want to open them... to just turn around, take off into the streets and hide in a diner ordering pie all day. Her mom wouldn't know whether she actually attended class or not, at least not the first day. She entertained the thought for a few minutes, deciding against it in the end only because she knew if she didn't go now, she'd never go. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on the door, ready to push it open, just as she was about to-

"Hi! I'm Bette, your new student liaison!" an all too cheerful voice said.

Artemis jumped, startled, "Bette, New Student Liaison". "I'm Artemis!" she said quickly, but hastily added, "But you knew that already. I think."

After a moment of awkward silence between them, and Bette's eerily bright smile staring at her making her feel incredibly uncomfortable, Artemis smiled too . It was the polite thing to do.

* * *

While Wally was left flirting with Megan the new girl (not to mention a Junior and way out of Wally's league), Dick decided to start heading towards his first period class. He grabbed his backpack and continued texting Alfred as he headed for the door.

"Hey Dick! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!"

Dick looked up and saw the smiling face of Barbara Gordon, his fellow classmate and daughter of the commissioner for Gotham City. In his opinion, she was the prettiest redhead he knew, and he knew quite a few of them whether they dyed their hair or not. Then there were those gorgeous blue eyes of hers and-

"Dick?"

"Oh, uh, yeah Babs?"

"Whatcha staring at?" she asked, teasingly. He sputtered out a response that didn't contain much English and seemed to fade into a barely audible mumble. She turned around and saw a pretty blonde girl with a lovely shade of olive skin talking to Bette Kane. She didn't recognize the girl, but an idea popped into her mind as Dick stood there blushing.

"Go up and take a picture with her," Barbara said, her blue eyes glinting with mischief.

Dick gaped at her and stumbled over his words, "Wha-huh? Why?"

Barbara crossed her arms and smirked, nudging Dick with her shoulder, "You know why."

Barbara had her signature smile, the one that oozed superiority and confidence, so Dick put on his favourite smirk, and pulled out his phone. He waited until he had turned away from Babs to let the smile fall from his lips. He shook his head once, firmly, before he was standing beside Artemis.

The camera on his phone flashed as he grinned widely, capturing a picture of him and the surprised girl who only squinted.

Bette had noticed him before Artemis did, and gave him an eyebrow quirk and a scowl, both of which he took as his cue to stop his shenanigans and sprint in the other direction.

Barbara laughed out loud as Dick came running towards her. She lifted her hand up for a high five. He skidded to a stop, inches from her palm, and went cross-eyed staring at the object he'd almost hurled his face into. He timidly reached up to return the high-five, but she pulled her hand back to her hip and said, "Too slow Wonder Boy."

"I'm not in the circus anymore Babs, stop calling me that."

She reached down and picked up her bag, pulling it over her shoulder, "Whatever you say... Boy Wonder. I've got to get to class. See you around." She walked off to her next class leaving Dick with a smirk on his face and a slightly red face.

* * *

(A/N:) This story is now a collab between me, lovelyravager, and fishscalepanties. Make sure you check them out! They're both wonderful people and amazing authors! We even have a Tumblr for our AU! It's called gotham-academy if you want to check it out. We're going to have comics, art, profiles of the students, and drabbles that aren't part of the main storyline :) So go check it out guys!

Love, Safirel


	3. Chapter 3

**Gotham Academy Chapter Three**

Kaldur navigated through the hallways of the school like a tourist in a new city... maneuvering his way through loud jocks, oblivious burn-outs and a few rule breakers rushing to the bathroom for a smoke. He was searching for his locker, the small home in this place of somebodies...he being nothing more than a quiet nobody, sighing with every breath.

Even though he had the same locker as the year before, he still managed to get lost... trying to forget about the times he'd spent there when he wasn't just there to get books. It was funny, he thought, how something as simple as spending time near a row of steel metal doors in between classes could be so painful to remember.

It wasn't a long walk, just past a few overachievers studying for an exam that wasn't scheduled for another month. There it was, the same blue paint, same dinged lock, same three number combination. But the atmosphere was different. It was af if a dark shadow lingered near the locker now.

He opened it, shoving his textbooks from the class before into it, not worrying about putting them in a specific order. He wouldn't need them for swim practice anyway. He smiled to himself at the thought, swimming was his solace, a getaway... the only other peace he had was gaming and that was frowned upon by his mother and friends, that is if he had friends. With that lonely thought, he closed his locker. Kaldur focused his eyes on the floor; the floor was his friend. It was what he always looked to, he knew the cracks so well by now as well as the tile pattern... the floor was his best friend.

He sighed.

Kaldur was headed to the one class he could actually find some enjoyment in, Oceanography. It was a class about the ecosystem, the very delicate ecosystem. And not just any ecosystem, that of the ocean. Some say the parts of the ocean left unexplored were the last frontier, Kaldur liked that idea. A whole world on Earth no one had laid eyes on, deep in the trenches, far below his feet.

"Watch it," a low voice growled as Kaldur walked smack into Conner Kent, resident football enthusiast, the epitome of most after school specials as the male lead with the short fuse, leather jacket included. Yet, there was a twist to this jock's story, for he was known for his extensive knowledge in history, so much so he was nicknamed Wikipedia. But Kaldur noticed from his years of observing other students in the shadows that Conner could be very aloof at times. Kaldur was certain there was a complexity to Conner that was covered by his popularity.

"Sorry," Kaldur said apologetically. He was not one for confrontation and politely stepped to the side, away from Conner.

Conner grunted, eyeing Kaldur for a moment before storming off. Although, Conner had a lot on his mind. He'd spent last night catching up on his English assignments, or attempting too. All the words seemed to jumble in his head. All this analysis of short stories and interpretation of poetry had him shaking with frustration. In the end he'd ripped his homework in half, only to spend another twenty minutes putting it back together. Ms. Curry wasn't exactly pleased when he handed it in, tapped and crumpled with various eraser marks.

Conner hated that class, it was the one subject he couldn't grasp. Math was formulaic, history was memorization, everything else was a matter of pattern. English was different, it required thought on a whole other level, one formed from opinion and understanding, understanding of not only the characters but also one's self. That was just it... Conner didn't have a cold grip on his identity, he was only a boy trying to live up to a legacy, that of his older brother Clark. Clark, the boy scout with the perfect average in high school and the football star. Clark, every girl's dream, Clark, the kind volunteer for... well just about everything. Everyone loved Clark, especially Lex, their father.

No matter how hard Conner tried, he couldn't reach that podium Clark was on. He was never good enough.

Kaldur watched Conner walk. It was his nature to study others, not because he looked for weaknesses, but rather why a person was broken. He'd come to learn over the past few months what it meant to be broken, to feel numb, to lose all hope for the future and everything one onced loved turned to ash... when it all became meaningless.

He saw that in Conner, or at least a warning sign.

He sighed, walking slowly to his class, the class he loved, or had once loved; the class he was learning to love again.

Kaldur dived off the platform, his body taut, ready to pierce through the tranquil surface of the water. Moments before his dive, he saw his reflection; his eyes were much like a still ocean, calm, unmoving and yet beneath the surface there was so much life. If one were to look deeper they'd see the scales of fish, the smiles of dolphins, the bright color of coral. The ocean had so much to offer and yet if one only saw the surface, it was quiet, much like Kaldur. The thought saddened him; who would look at him deeper than they saw on the outside?

He dove.

The cool splash hit him forcefully like a sound of a cracking branch in a thunderstorm. He was awakened in a way only the water could. That's what swimming was for him- a brief repose from the half-asleep state that was his existence; he was a ghost phasing through humanity.

He sailed through the lane until he felt his glide begin to slow; he deftly began a freestyle swim with all the desperation of someone running from a nightmare and all the strength of a soldier in battle.

As his hand reached the smooth white surface of the wall, he paused for a moment. The touch of the concrete was as bland as he felt. He flipped under the water a second later and continued the soothingly mindless pattern of going back and forth, lifting his head for air he did not want, and then diving again into the water where he felt at peace. With each stroke he pulled, he felt his hand strike through the water and push it behind him, always behind him.

As he swam across the pool, over and over, he didn't feel anything except for the cool touch of the water as it coursed around him; there was a lulling essence the water gave him... a pause from life, or as Ms. Curry would say, a comma in a sentence. In the water he didn't have to think about anything except for the next stroke, the next breath.

He hit the wall. But this time he stopped and breathed in deeply. Exhausted, he was back to reality; damn.

"Kaldur!"

He turned to see where the gruff call came from. Arthur Curry, otherwise known as "Coach" to the swim team, and "Coach Curry" to everyone else, walked up to the lane Kaldur had his arms drapped over the lane.

"You do know you just swam a 500 without stopping, right?" he said with a huge grin on his face.

Kaldur shook his head. He didn't count the laps or the yards; he swam because he needed to, not for purpose, not for meaning but for something greater, something he couldn't quite comprehend, not yet anyway. All he knew was the sensation of being in the water...it was like nothing else existed except for him and the molecules always slipping from his grasp. Even so, there were no worries, no problems, just...water.

"I hear you're doing well in English. Except you haven't been paying attention lately. How do you manage that, being an A student who falls asleep?" Coach Curry asked somewhat amused.

Not only was he the swim coach, but also the husband of Kaldur's English teacher, Ms. Curry.

"Things... Have been distracting me. I have been trying my hardest though." Kaldur spoke with that classic sincerity, classic as in it belonged to Kaldur, the boy with manners in the 21st century.

"You can tell me about it, if you want." Coach Curry said, quieter than before. Kaldur had that effect on people; any loudmouth soon found themselves lowering their voices to accommodate Kaldur's tone, one of a kind young man.

"No, I don't believe that will be necessary," Kaldur replied; he did not want to talk, he did not want to sort out all these thoughts in his head. All he wanted was stillness and rush the water gave him.

He submerged himself in the pool once more.

* * *

All the other players had hit the showers but Conner remained on the field, determined to be better, faster, stronger than his teammates. He could not settle for anything less than perfect, anything less than Clark, the epitome of all things right, all things just, all things perfect... at least in their father's eyes. Despite sweat falling into his eyes, the putrid odor from his pits and the lactic acid building in every corner of his body to the point of excruciating pain, he could not stop, not for anything.

As he grunted, the one indication of his pain, he spotted _her_. A redhead with a bubbly smile, brimming with optimism. He should have been sickened, he wasn't one for... well happiness. But something about her, he stopped, dropping the football in his hands and stepping forward to look at her closely. She had pom poms in hands, a cheerleader? He'd never seen her before; she must be a new recruit.

He watched as she swung her hands into the air, giggling... and hell he found himself smiling. Smiling?

"What's wrong with me?" he whispered to himself. By now he'd reached the fence and could see she had freckles, darling little freckles that moved as her mouth widened, bigger than before. It was then that he realized she was looking at him. He wanted to move, he wanted to scoff, turn away and return to the practice he felt he so desperately needed, but he couldn't move one inch away from her, if anything he felt a need to come closer to her, because she was smiling _back_.

"Megan what are you waiting for!" Karen, the cheer captain said, eager to leave practice early with her new friend, and the newest addition to the squad.

Conner wanted to yell at Wendy because as she spoke, the redhead... or Megan... _Megan_... turned to answer her friend.

"I'll be right there!" Megan said sweetly. Conner sunk into the fence at the sound of her voice, something like an angel in candyland. He wanted to laugh at himself for thinking such a thing, he wasn't the romantic type, all this sugar normally gave him a headache, instead he was enjoying it, wanting more.

Megan waved goodbye to him and he melted. As she got into the car with the rest of the squad he pushed his head into the fence, angry at himself for not speaking up. She didn't even know his name.

"It's Conner, Conner Kent," he said to the air as she was already gone.

* * *

(A/N:) And here's the third chapter! Remember guys, if you want to read the chapters earlier, I publish them on the Tumblr page a few days before it goes up on FF :) Find the link on my profile! :D We already have the fourth chapter completely written, and in my opinion, it's the best one yet! So stay tuned for that!

-Love, Safirel


	4. Chapter 4

Gotham Academy Chapter Four

Artemis ripped off her tie, not even bothering to undo the knot. There was a brief choking sensation and then, with the noose off her neck, a relaxation that seeped into every pore of her body. Her day was nothing short of a disaster; any hope she had felt in the early morning disintegrated with her lunch... literally. It was the bright idea of some rich kid studying chemistry to throw her entire lunch into an open flame a few potheads had started along with a several stolen chemicals from the lab.

The combination of weed and a few alloys caused a giant explosion, nearly burning her eyebrows off. The only thing that saved her were the warm hands of a stranger who had wrapped themselves over Artemis. Her savior's body acted like a barricade, shielding her from most of the blast before pulling her out of harm's way. She wasn't sure who the random do-gooder was nor did she care. The idea that someone would find it funny to take her food, the food she paid for with her minimum wage job, annoyed her enough to tackle the idiot who did the deed and completely ignore her hero; she never did find out who it was. Had it not been for the same strange boy who took her picture earlier, something she still didn't understand, pulling the fire alarm and distracting everyone, she would have kicked the food wasting idiot's rear. If she had, Artemis would have been kicked out of the academy for sure.

"As if that's a bad thing," she muttered.

"Well, well, looks like trailer trash just blew its way into the courtyard." Artemis stopped walking, recognizing the voice as the girl who had taunted her at the beginning of third period. Artemis's immediate reaction was a balled fist, prepared to to strike the smug face of Tuppence, the girl who bragged about her father being the inventor of toaster strudels every chance she got. Earlier today, Tuppence mocked Artemis for her "last century" shoes. They were worn out in the center with a few holes around the edges; she'd gotten them on sale at a flea market. At the time, 2 dollars for wearable shoes seemed like a good idea.

"Tubby." Artemis said smirking as she looked over at her latest bully; the girl was in no way fat but there was this unexplainable pleasure that came from butchering a pretentious name like "Tuppence"... Artemis couldn't help herself. It was her one moment of weakness, two if one were to count skipping class... for two periods. At the time, Artemis had rationalized that science, her third period, was worth skipping because if she had chosen to stay she would have been suspended for breaking Tuppence's overly painted face.

After spending an hour in the city she wasn't up for the preppy snobs at Gotham academy, with lunch so soon and the alluring aromas of greasy pizza from a nearby pizzeria beckoning her, she decided to skip fourth too. Life in the corner with her slice of heart attack and a bottle of soda was simple, easy. She liked these living oxymorons, those that carried the full weight of quietness amidst the bustle of people coming in and out of a restaurant.

"Didn't think you'd run off that fast." She stopped in mid chew, afraid to look up. Artemis had a brave face for most things, but that did not mean she was in all actuality brave. To be caught off guard like this left her confused, unsure of what action to take next and somewhat terrified.

"Relax, I won't tell." As she heard these words, the boy who had taken her picture early that day waved his hand in front of her face. She smiled, not intentionally, more out of instinct; he had such nice steel blue eyes.

That was then, this is now.

"My name is Tuppence, trailer trash can't spell?"

"Technically, calling you Tubby was more of annunciating rather than spelling." a young redheaded girl pointed out. Artemis turned to see the boy once again, and this time he was not alone.

"Aw Strudel Princess doesn't know what annunciating means. Shall I define it for you, or would you prefer I spell it?" Steel blue said mocking Tuppence; despite him being a weirdo, she liked his comebacks.

"You think she can spell?" The newest voice belonged to a girl closer to Artemis's age, she had two identical buns on her head and wore a neatly pressed Knight's cheerleading costume.

In response to the sudden onset of attacks, Tuppence stomped her foot, stuck out her tongue and flipped her hair. With a snap of her fingers, her cronies followed. Artemis watched in amusement as Tuppence fell several times over her 5 inch heels.

"Those can't be allowed in the dress code," Artemis said shortly before laughing. A cackle joined her and she soon found an arm on her shoulder.

"Since when do you follow the rules new girl?" the kid said.

"New girl? That's clever sass master," Artemis patted his hand, grateful for his aid as well as his friends.

"I'm Barbara," the redhead said, "you can call me Babs, this is Karen and the little troll is Dick." Artemis suppressed a laugh, what kind of people named their kid Dick?

"I'm Artemis."

"Like the goddess in Greek mythology." Dick was beaming. Babs shrugged her shoulders, the more Dick was around the new girl, the more she was under the impression he'd fallen for her. Perhaps a future date was in order?

"Well I appreciate the help guys but I need to be getting home...um..."

"You're one for conversation," Karen said softly, all the confidence she had a moment ago seemed simmered as she spoke to Artemis. Artemis admired that, the ability to be powerful and tempered depending on the moment. Artemis was all fire, ready to burn through the skill of anyone who looked at her the wrong way.

"Not really, but thank you. I uh, don't really fit in here." Artemis's eyes widened as she realized what she had said, she opened herself up for further conversation. Why the hell had she done that? Worse, she'd revealed an insecurity, her fear of not belonging. Maybe if she laughed she could play it off as if she didn't care, but what if they saw through that facade?

"Who wants to fit in here?" Another redhead had arrived, a boy with emerald green eyes whose tone suggested overconfidence, downright arrogance. He wrapped his arms around Dick's neck, pulling him into a bear hug.

"BROOOOOMANCE, NOTHING REALLY GAY ABOUT IT," Karen and Babs sang in unison. As the group giggled on and on, Artemis slipped back, farther and farther, attempting to run away before they noticed. But Artemis looked towards the redhead holding onto Dick, seeing something in him...

"I..." Artemis shook her head and ran off, suddenly afraid, very afraid.

"Who was that?" Wally asked, looking at where the blonde had gone. He was the only one to see her go, all he could think was, I know her, she must be... His eyes sparkled at the realization of who she was.

"Wait!" he called out.

But the gold streak of her hair had already disappeared into the sea of overly priced cars speeding out of the school parking lot.

* * *

"Beep! Beep! Beep!" the alarm on Dick's phone blared as the clock reached midnight. He hastily turned it off, accidentally knocking his papers onto the floor in the scuffle. The noise stopped just as he reached under the desk to grab his negative case for his debate team practice tomorrow.

He sighed and rubbed his temples as he browsed the internet for more articles pertaining to the case he was working on. Pretty much everything he'd found only helped the affirmative case, the negative side that is. He sighed; it just showed how biased the news media really was. At least his research proved to be helpful when he wrote the affirmative portion of his cases, after all, he did need to turn in both sides of the argument even if he was just debating one side; looking into an argument objectively was the marking of a good lawyer.

"I don't even want to be a lawyer," he said to himself, staring at a tired expression in the small porcelain framed mirror over his desk.

The clock read 12:06 am. He had yet to get halfway through the case.

Dick's mouth opened up to yawn as he stretched his arms behind his head, wishing the case would write itself so he could get some sleep.

"I guess it's my fault, bitten by the procrastination monster," he muttered, dimming the light on his pride and joy, the MacBook pro he'd had for three years and personally upgraded himself. The emacs function was fun to toy around with, and the terminal app was perfectly structured for coding. Or at least whatever little bit of HTML and CSS he'd taught himself from playing around with the thing.

Although Dick would never admit it to anyone but Wally, his laptop was his baby.

His phone suddenly beeped loudly, startling Dick to the point where he had lost his balance on his chair and soon found himself on the ground, his head throbbing from direct contact to the wooden floor. He glared at the inanimate object and shut off the sound, switching it to vibrate. The only reason he'd turned it on was because he wanted to make sure he'd have a reminder to go to bed by twelve. As if that was possible now.

Wally: _Dude, you up?_

Of course Wally was the only one rude enough to text Dick on the night, well now the day, his debate cases were due.

Dick rose from the floor, rubbing the newly formed bump on the back of his head before sighing once more. If he was to survive the night, he needed to ignore all incoming text messages, especially from Wally, and finish writing.

The phone buzzed on the wood surface of the desk.

Wally:_ I know you're not sleeping._

"And that doesn't sound creepy at all," Dick mumbled, angry at himself for giving in so quickly. Still, he chuckled softly. He set the phone back down and got back to work. But it wasn't long until the phone buzzed again.

Wally: _dick._

Dick held the phone in his hands, knowing Wally had uncapitalized that on purpose. But he could play it off innocently...

Dick: _Wally, grammar. Always capitalize pronouns._

Wally: _Got you to answer me, didn't it?_

Dang it. Dick put his phone down knowing if he indulged Wally further he was looking into a long night of girl's names and rating their "assets" on a scale from nonexistent to Taylor Swift (Dick never understood the scale as "assets" were equated to certain womanly features and while Ms. Swift was certainly endowed in those areas, Penelope Cruz had far more attractive... "assets", at least in his mind).

"Alright Richard, you can do this, just focus." He stared at his papers for a good five minutes before giving in to his phone, it had eight new messages.

He read them slowly:

Wally: _I know you're there._

Wally:_ I see your forehead wrinkling._

Wally: _Dick, Dick... talk nerdy to me Dick._

Wally: _Dick... dick._

Wally: _COME ON RICHARD JOHN GRAYSON WAYNE THIS IS SERIOUS._

Wally:_ If you don't answer me I'm telling Babs about your footie pajamas._

Wally:_ I know the password to your Facebook. 'Scuse me while I post something..._

Wally: _Your new status reads "Wallace West is a sex deity, I feel the fuego every time he passes me by, UNF."_

"Damn it Wally!"

Dick: _5 minutes. YOU HAD TO DO ALL THIS BECAUSE I WAS WORKING FOR FIVE MINUTES._

Wally:_ Dick baby, I missed you._

Dick: _Wally._

Wally: _Richard._

Dick: _What do you want._

Dick had given up, when Wally put his mind to something, he got it done, it was an admirable trait to have, if only he didn't use it so often to distract Dick from his work.

Wally: _Remember that girl with the long blonde hair?_

Dick: _I thought you were into the redhead, Megan?_

Dick suddenly found himself furious with his friend; he wasn't jealous that Wally might have feelings for Artemis... but she was his friend, or at least he was seeing a possible friendship with her and the idea of Wally going all playboy on her... well it pissed him off.

Wally: _I am, and I've got a good shot with her, bet you she'll be my date to the dance._

Dick: _You're on. Now what about Artemis?_

Wally: _Is that her name?_

Dick: _Yeah, what of it?_

Wally: _Nothing... it just... suits... her..._

Now Wally seemed to be thinking, never a good sign. Had he gotten it into his head to go after both girls? Never mind Megan, she seemed sweet enough but Dick didn't know her, well he couldn't say he knew Artemis...

Dick: _You don't know her... What's with all the ellipses?_

"Why am I getting defensive?"

Wally: _Because, like you said, I am a sex deity, I do what I want. ;)_

Dick: _The hell you do, you hurt her I'll kick your ass._

Wally: _Whoa... where'd that come from? Little Dickie got a thing for the blonde?_

Dick: _Artemis, and no. You know who I... like. Just... what did you want Wally?_

Wally: _Artemis_

Dick: _WHAT THE FREAK MAN?_

Wally:_ DUDE MY FINGER SLIPPED! I was going to say Artemis is the girl from earlier today, the one I told you about!_

Dick: _Oh._

Wally: _Oh, so that's it._

Dick: _Oh._

Wally: _You sure you're not crushing on her?_

Dick: _More like a squish._

Wally:_ I can't believe you just said that._

Dick: _You think squishes are stupid?_

Wally: _No, I love them... dude I love that word._

Dick: _This is why we're best friends._

Wally:_ RICHARD YOU SAP._

Dick:_ Less than 3 man._

Wally: _Right back atcha kid._

Dick rested his head on his desk, thinking over his conversation, mainly about Artemis. He didn't have romantic feelings for her, he didn't think...

"But how can I be sure?" He'd never been in love, all he knew was what it felt like to want to be someone's friend; a squish. Then there was Babs, that whole relationship was an enigma. For now he had to forget the ladies, forget Wally the sex deity, and figure out a good excuse to tell his teacher tomorrow. He had a silver tongue, but if he didn't get some sleep now, he wouldn't make it through one class.

As Dick fell asleep, a pair of familiar hands had scooped him up off his desk chair and into his bed.

"He looks much smaller asleep, doesn't he Alfred?" Bruce said softly, gazing at his son.

"Indeed he does sir, indeed he does." Bruce pulled the blanket over Dick, gently rubbing his forehead. He looked at the boy one last time before walking out. As Alfred closed the door, he smiled.

* * *

(A/N:) Hello guys, it's been a while :) But here's a quick update on our progress: we have the story written through chapter 7. Chapters 1-6 should all be posted by July 20 on the Gotham Academy blog. And also, our first comic is out! All of the writers are really glad you've been enjoying this so far, and we're planning on continuing this for a long time!


	5. Chapter 5

**Gotham Academy Chapter Five**

Megan had arrived late last night, the day before school was to begin. She was supposed to come in a week in advance, but her parents had forgotten to buy her ticket. She played it off as nothing, but of course it hurt. Every time someone forgot anything pertaining to her, a little piece of her died inside.

"Hi, I'm Megan!" She had said cheerfully to her roommate, a small, chirpy girl much like herself named Wendy.

"Hi Megan! Nice to meet you, I'm Wendy, can you do a split?" Megan smiled, or tried to. She lived in the south, the far south and much of the northern customs alluded her. She couldn't help but ask if such a question was part of their culture.

"Well, I'm flexible."

"Perfect! Tomorrow morning, before class, come to the back of the field for try-outs!" And with that Wendy was off. Megan stood in the middle of her dorm with her hands holding onto several boxes; they held her blankets, her photos, her diary, and a few posters. In her bag were her clothes and shoes, she hadn't brought many things with her, she didn't have much of her own with all her siblings running about, taking most of her parents' attention. Over the years she'd grown accustomed to being ignored. Her time alone often resulted in her latest designs, most of which she kept in her sketchbook, her most prized position. Nothing came close except for her sewing machine, which she had brought along with her, it was in the box at her feet, she had carried it in first because of the weight, several boys had offered to help her.

"Maybe I can make a new start, one where I'm not a freak." She had said. Now that a day had passed, it seemed she was right. Boys were tripping over themselves to talk to her, she was already a cheerleader and she loved her baking and sewing classes. Her teacher for the latter even said she showed a lot of potential!

Megan sat on her bed, staring at the white walls; Wendy had a quilt on her bed a few posters, there wasn't much of a personality in this living space.

"I'll start with this room." She pulled out her sketches, tapping some of her favorite together, 6 total. After stepping outside to pluck a few flowers just outside her window and a couple more tree branches, she returned to her room. Moments later, with her hot glue gun, she managed to create a frame for her work and in a few more seconds she had the whole thing on her wall.

"That's a start." If only she were allowed to paint, all the colors, all the shades, the mix of this color and that. The academy stifled her creativity that way. Uniforms were one thing, they helped her hide and appear normal, equal to those around her. She was one of _them_, with her tie, her blue skirt and her jacket she carried the same unified formalism as everyone else. She was a member of the crowd and it was wonderful to her. She fit into the puzzle like another piece that solved the mystery. Another piece that _mattered, _because without her, the whole picture would be incomplete.

By the time she was done, the room looked like a flower garden, a modern Victorian feel to it. She'd used much of the wood outside, no one had questioned her as she pulled the bark from the trees, of course she'd be lying to herself if she didn't admit she'd chosen a path few people were on and every time she had heard a noise, she'd run farther into the forest, hiding.

"Wow, you've certainly been busy." Wendy said. She was in awe of the room; most of the art came from Megan's hard work, but a few furniture pieces were the result of a shopping binge the two had after practice.

"Do you like it?" Megan said doubtfully. She never believed in her abilities, to her, everything she drew was a mess of lines, nothing more than scribble. While she loved decorating and treasured every second of placing items to tell a story, she never actually believed what she did was any good.

"I love it!" Wendy exclaimed, running over to hug Megan. Megan hugged her back, happy to have pleased someone; she lived to please others.

"Well I suppose I should get to sleep, it's nearly midnight." With that Megan had curled into bed, Wendy rubbed her ear and whispered "You go to bed this early? Lightweight." It was meant as a joke but Megan didn't register the humor in Wendy's voice. She immediately got up from her bed, running through all the possible things normal teenage girls did at this hour. Pillow fights? Or nails... or talking about boys! Yes, that would be a good topic.

"So um Wendy-"

"Oh I know what you're going to ask, what was I doing out so late after curfew." Megan nodded, happy that Wendy had taken the conversation in this direction. She knew little about boys having been rejected by so many before coming here.

Her lips curled into a mischievous smile, "I was meeting someone." Megan pulled back into her bed, trying to hide her panic. The small bit of relief she felt a moment ago was gone and a new wave of panic formed, starting with her hands. They were growing paler as Wendy relaxed herself in her own bed, preparing herself for a long tale.

"He's...well he's...something of a bad boy, I mean he's got a bad rep for being a snob who deals weed, but I swear most of it isn't true." Megan only nodded. She felt more like a fish out of water, more so than she had all day. Worse, a fish flopping on the sand, searching for way back home.

_There's nothing for me at home...I guess I need to grow legs and learn how to breathe._

"We normally have Skype dates because he's always skipping class. But this time he invited me out and well, we broke curfew!"

"How'd you get around the guards? I mean...well...um-"

"Oh Tommy has his ways, he wanted to stay out all night but I don't have the stamina for it. I need to get some sleep and well, homework. He's still out though, he didn't want to go back, but he kissed me goodnight!" Wendy continues to go on and on about her date, Megan did her best to pay attention but all she could think about was how wrong it was to break curfew, the danger in such an action, it could mean suspension! What boy could be worth breaking curfew for, really what person would be worth that?

* * *

Artemis's hand was red from the pressure of holding the wrench so tightly. The bolts could not be moved, and yet she still pressed harder to keep them this way. Her boss looked concerned; Artemis was an angry person naturally but when it came to her work she was diligent, some might say even thoughtful.

The gears of each cycle had always soothed her frustration but things had changed. A week at the academy and she was more confused than anything else. Confusion led to frustration, leading to anger, and anger consumed any happy moments like Art with Babs and Karen, or spending her lunch period with Dick in the computer lab watching him hack into private sites to watch movies that hadn't come out in theaters yet.

"Artemis?"

"Ollie." She was in no mood for her boss' positive spin on things.

"Artemis, do you want to talk?"

"No, no I don't." Artemis continued to tighten the bolts, her fingers were blistered by now and she still had oil changes to do. Still, something about the movement in tightening... ironically it was release for her.

"Is this about a boy?"

"WHY DOES EVERY MAN ASSUME THAT WHEN A GIRL IS UPSET IT'S ABOUT A BOY."

"Well...sometimes it's the period." She dropped the screwdriver and glared at him. This was Ollie's sense of humor, sexist, always sexist. Why was a feminist like herself working for him? Besides the need for money, they had a good dynamic, one might say a father daughter relationship and in that way he was the only father she really knew, or chose to know. It helped that he'd given up his life on as billionaire for this little shop, donating most of it to charity. With that thought, Artemis had calmed down.

"Ollie?"

"Artemis."

"It's about a boy."

"Oh really? I had no idea, none whatsoever, nope, I am taken aback, total surprise-"

"Oliver Queen."

"-Shocker, blown away, this is brand new information to me. My mind is just an explosion of bewilderment."

"It's more than just a boy Ollie, it's this whole damn life my mom pushed on me." Artemis walked over to the car lifted up in the air, it's tires needed changing along with a few upgrades. There were days she'd sit in these cars way up there and think, it was the closest to heaven she got, surely a girl like her would end up in hell, what with all she's done and not even 16 yet.

"What life is that kid?"

"You know the life Ollie, the one with the snobs who wipe their a**es with 100 dollar bills. They have no regard for hard work, not like us," Artemis began to climb up to the car, she needed to feel above everything, to remind herself that she was better simply because she had it harder, she worked more than anyone of those rich kids, that her life would amount more, "There's this one girl named Tuppence, TUPPENCE. I have third period with her, on Tuesday she tried to dip my ponytail in chemicals. Do you know how much strength it took not to blind her with acid? DO YOU OLLIE?" By now Artemis was resting in the driver's seat.

Ollie looked up at her, he wanted to laugh but that would put them back where they had started, she would start screaming at him, he'd laugh some more.

"Listen kid-"

"Wait Ollie, there's more." Artemis played with the wheel, turning it left and right as if driving down a highway while a police car chased her; she had to swerve constantly lest she be arrested by these imaginary cops.

"I would think so, unless Tuppence is secretly a boy." Ollie said, attempting to be patient.

"The boy is in my third period too and it's nothing romantic. He just keeps giving me looks. Dick said he wanted to talk to me and-"

"Dick?"

"He's a friend."

"You made a friend?"

"A few... Dick, Babs, Karen... Karen's a cheerleader, weird huh?" Ollie chuckled.

"Weird that you'd be friends with a prep? Nah, I mean they're all rich kids right?"

"I was invited to join the track team, can't run though but Babs wants me to try the Pole Vault. I could do it, I think...I mean I already jump over street cars and the occasional building."

"Glad to know you're still doing parkour, doubt your mother approves."

"You know she doesn't know. But stop getting me off track, I... I hate it there Ollie. Tuppence isn't the only one giving me crap. There's a whole group of people who see me as some inferior being that doesn't belong. A lot of them just glare at me, I want to knock out all their teeth, sharpen them and then stab their eyes out with it!" Ollie only nodded, Artemis was one to fight with, especially when she got into a state like this.

"Ollie... I think I might join... maybe. But... I mean work and school, I don't know. I kinda wanted to try my hand at archery too. Is that... weird?"

"Why? Because your dad had you trying out every sport, attempting to mold you into the son he never had and you wound up shooting arrows? Nah kid, that's called rebellion. I approve, of course dancing would have worked too."

"Dancing isn't me." Artemis tried to imagine herself twirling around stage with the spotlight on her. She laughed, it would be an adrenaline rush for sure but nothing like the one she enjoyed from skinny dipping outside of Gotham's limit on a school night... among other things.

"So about the boy, the one from science, you talk to him yet?"

"No, not interested. The football team is far more appealing than a freckled geek who gets turned on from watching acid bubble up." Ollie smiled knowingly. He patted the car as a way of letting Artemis know he was leaving to give her alone time. She waved her hand to say goodbye. Now that she was alone she started thinking, really thinking about the academy. There was Dick, he was becoming a friend, yes, she had told Ollie he was her friend. She liked spending time with the troll, she liked his impersonations of the rich kids even though he was one of them. Then there was Babs and Karen, both studied so hard and unlike their peers, they didn't take things for granted.

"I guess Dickie doesn't either." She put her feet up on the dash wishing the ceiling would open. She wanted to see the stars, the moon, she wanted to feel alive. Walking around for a week in formal wear pissed her off enough to strip down and run in the night for a few hours.

"Hmm, maybe." It's not like she hadn't done things like that before, or worse. What more could she add to her roster of things one should be arrested for?

"As if I'd ever get caught." She closed her eyes, pretending to be outside, free. There was still work to be done, a lot of work but for now sitting here and falling into the seat, resting her mind, allowing herself to breathe was nice and needed. Artemis couldn't pretend everything at the academy was bad, yes she had her bullies but she her friends too and there was that one Conner kid with the nice body on the football team, maybe with a few suggestive words she could get his number.

She'd start with the track team, work her way in, use her skills to win the school a few new titles, keep her body in shape, and she'd get to hang out with Babs more. Try-outs were a few weeks ago but Babs was one of two pole vaulters on the team. If Artemis was good, and she knew she was, there was no way they could say no.

Artemis decided she'd go to the track tomorrow, talk to Coach Allen and hopefully by the end of the whole thing she'd go home with a jersey and a pair of ridiculously short shorts that came with every track uniform. After ten minutes of thinking over her future plans, track team, archery team, hanging out with Dick and the others at the movies, she felt better, much better.

"Artemis if you don't get those oil changes done you'll be stuck in this dumpy garage all Friday night!"

"On it Ollie!" She jumped down from the car, if she didn't hurry, she'd miss the 8 O'Clock showing of the latest Spiderman movie, the main character was such a hottie and it would be nice to actually hang out with people her age that had a happy medium between stealing cars like at Gotham West, and buying a thousand dollar purse like most people at the academy.

"All right Artemis, time to get your hands dirty." She smiled as she headed for the engines.

* * *

The crackle of the oil as it burned in the pan gave Megan a strange sense of security. She knew the sound would always be the same as it burned; it was a constant and would never change. And for some odd reason she didn't understand herself, it made her feel safe. Maybe it was because she had gotten too used to _changing_ all the time.

"You forgot the butter," one of Megan's fellow culinary classmates pointed out.

Megan stiffened, startled by the sudden jolt back into reality. The oil leapt off the pan and burned her skin.

"Ow! Um, I'll go get that now," she replied, turning off the hot plate and setting down the spatula.

Megan left the room, grabbing a hall pass from the teacher on her way out; just as she stepped out the door her teacher said, "Oh and Megan, could you pick up the cupcake batter? I need it for the kindergarteners coming later today."

"Sure thing!" Megan replied sweetly.

The only butter left on campus was in the cafeteria because the supply of the culinary students had been wasted when some kid decided to melt most of it and pour it down each hallway for a makeshift slip and slide. No one knew who did it but the cooks and custodians were calling for blood. In addition to the butter fiasco that happened just yesterday, there was also the matter of the kindergarteners coming to visit the academy; the seniors were reading to them and it was the job of the culinary kids to make the food. With all the butter gone, it was a lot cheaper to get the boxed batter, something her teacher hated but couldn't really argue with.

It didn't take long to collect the stick of butter she needed and the tub of batter (the cafeteria workers had premixed it for them and for some reason poured it all into one tub), although it was kind of heavy and Megan was afraid she might spill it walking down the hallway back to the culinary classroom.

She looked inside the tub and watched as the batter bounced around inside, it's goopy thick texture too heavy to run like water, but not heavy enough to be solid. That was what the oven was for! To turn this mass of goop into something edible. Megan was fascinated by this, by the idea that fire could shape things, change them into something new, maybe even something better. She should love fire for this and yet being too close to the flames left her uneasy. She never understood why, but fire was something of a phobia to her. Turning the stove on where the blue flames flickered under the pots sharpened her senses and at a younger age would send her to her bedroom in tears. Now she was strong enough to work with the small fires but nothing more lest she break down into tears.

As Megan reflected over her irrational fear, she failed to see the tall young man coming towards her, one with his nose in a book, attempting to understand his latest English assignment. All the words seemed to move across the page, he couldn't keep track of even one sentence... his patience was wearing thin like fabric being shredded into strands of string.

From an outsider's perspective, one would see a boy and girl in a direct course of collision, an outsider such as Dick Grayson who was standing nearby with his iPad, going over blueprints for his next big prank. After Wally's genius move with the butter, it was his turn to bring hell to the academy.

As he looked up from his work, he smiled with what was about to transpire.

"One... two... three." As the young boy reached the last number, Megan and Conner smacked into one another, Conner's assignment completely destroyed by the batter which on impact splattered all of his paper and himself. The sticky substance was in his hair, his shirt, his hands, and his face was now twisted in anger. Megan had fallen back onto the ground, the tub having falling on her torso after its contents spilled all over the football player.

"Ow," she whispered. Conner's body was practically made of steel, it was as if she had hit a metal board.

"Who the hell-" Conner had moved over to see the person he was about to pummel. When his eyes met the moaning figure on the ground he was overcome with guilt, there was the sweet girl he'd seen last week, the cheerleader. She struggled to rise as her head had hit the ground when they collided. His fist loosened as he extended his hand to her.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't see..." Megan apologized hastily as she tried to gather up her supplies and get back up to her feet. She frowned at the sight of the batter all over the floor, her teacher would not be happy...and where had her butter stick gone?

"Let me help you with that," Conner said, hoping she wouldn't hate him forever now that he had wasted all her batter. He wanted to make it up to her, and of course just picking up her stuff wasn't enough; she looked like she was about to cry. But what was he supposed to do?

Upon hearing his voice, Megan looked up into his eyes to tell him not to worry, it was her fault. As she did so, she realized that he was the same football player she'd seen at tryouts for cheerleading, and she wondered why she was still attracted to him even after he'd yelled at her. Perhaps it was this unexplainable instinct she had about him, that somewhere, deep inside, under all the anger was something more. Maybe she was just giving him the benefit of the doubt.

"Um, it's my fault, I didn't see where I was going. Uh... s-sorry." She couldn't take her eyes of his, they were an ice blue, frosted on the edges and completely alluring. Her eyelids slipped a little lower, her head tilted a bit more to the right and she sighed involuntarily. He was... nice to look at it, yes there was a certain attraction, although she could not quite explain it. There was a soft tenderness between them despite having just met, she couldn't put her finger on it but... something between them was... special.

Conner coughed awkwardly as he wiped off some batter on his shoulder. Without thinking, Megan had yanked off her jacket and began to clean off his face, mumbling incoherently. He looked straight ahead, not sure what to do with her touch on his body.

After a few more mumbles, the two were caught off guard by a cackle. They looked around to see who it was but there was no one in sight; they were the only ones in the hallway covered in goop.

"I'm sorry, I uh... I'm Megan and I'm..." She sighed, "I'm such a klutz." She started to walk off when he reached for her, touching her arm gently.

"No, no please, it was my fault, I had my nose in my English paper, you had a big tub and it's not your fault." He struggled to keep a steady voice, his effort was wasted as he came off more abrasive than kind. Regardless, Megan smiled, nodding.

"English, I love English! Actually, that's how I got into the school. I uh...wrote an essay." Megan had done more than an essay, she had written a novel, one she had worked on since she was 14 years old. She'd sent it in along with 3 separate essays. The academy practically begged her to come.

"Seriously? I suck at it." Conner began to feel inadequate. He knew he was attracted to this girl, her sunny disposition and kind eyes but how could he... no, nothing could come out of this, he wasn't good enough for her, he wasn't good enough for anything.

Megan's face brightened, "I could help you! I mean... if you want me to... of course."

"Really?" The little voice in Conner's head began to go off, _if you go it'll only make her hate you..._

"That'd be great! So... Friday at five? My house," he said, smiling. He turned to leave, but Megan stopped him with her hand on his shoulder, there was a silence between them, a soft silence and for some reason he felt at ease with her fingers gently pushing his shoulder back to face him.

"Um?" Her voice was quiet, but loving.

"Yeah?" He looked over his shoulder, not fully aware of the smile on his face.

"I... don't know where you live." They stared at each other, Conner was never one for details, part of the reason why he was failing English. Still, he could appreciate the comical value of it all and began to laugh. Happy to see him calmer and more relaxed, Megan giggled and his heart melted all over again. Off to the side, the little troll Dick Grayson took notice of this and chuckled because nearby was the butter stick, melting on the floor.

"How appropriate." He said to himself.

"Then I'll pick you up after school. We can meet after class in parking lot D?"

"Sounds good, um... oh goodness! I don't know your name!" Her face flushed, he found the red on her cheeks adorable and yet there was an unmanly sentiment in feeling that way, his father wouldn't approve... although right now he didn't care.

"It's Conner, nice to meet you Megan... um... see you around?" He stretched his lips for a smile, she nodded and gently touched his neck before turning to leave, as she did so, she slipped on the batter. Conner's reflexes acted immediately and he reached to grab her, holding her in something of a tango pose with her head over his arm.

"I uh..." Conner couldn't think of what to say, the two stared at one another once again. In the back of Conner's mind was his destroyed English assignment and how he was going to explain it to Ms. Curry, but in the forefront were the freckles on Megan's face, placed perfectly to accent her dimples. In the back of Megan's mind was the explanation she'd have to give to her teacher, how she'd wasted all the batter and the poor kindergarteners would have no cupcakes. Despite Conner's hand holding onto her, she couldn't help but tear up and the thought, she'd caused so much trouble.

"Megan, are you alright?" He lifted her up; there wasn't much he could do. He guesses her sudden tears were from the realization that she had no batter; there was no way to put the batter back together, it was all of the floor and him. They'd have to make it all from scratch which would call for all sorts of ingredients and he certainly was no baker.

"I've ruined everything... I don't know what to do. I'm... I'm sorry Conner I need to go back to class." She pulled away and started to walk off with her tub, turning the corner before Conner could think of anything else to say.

"Crap." Conner's anger began to take a grip on him. He was angry at himself for what he had done. Had he not walked in this hallway, or if he had just bothered to look up he wouldn't have caused this mess!

"Damn it!" His fist tightened and within seconds it found its way into a nearby locker. As he pulled his hand back, it was bloody, gutted with the full force of the blow. Where his fist had been was a dent, if he was caught here, he'd surely be suspended. With his problems at home, no way was he planning on spending more time there than he already did, not with his father breathing down his neck over getting perfect scores on every test and excelling in football to the point where he was the star athlete. It didn't matter that he was the quarterback and he was the top of his county in terms of statistics. It didn't matter because Clark was in the top 10 of the nation. Clark was always beating him and Saint Clark didn't even have to try, he was some sort of super man the way he'd play the field, football in hand and then a moment later he was volunteering at an animal shelter and in the next reading to his troop of Boy Scouts. The guy was perfect and everything Conner was not, a failure.

"You better head back to class." The calm voice of Kaldur Ahm was heard over Conner's deep thoughts, something like a sea after a storm, quiet. Conner didn't know much about Kaldur, only that he kept to himself and he had a knack for languages, not so much learning but understanding them. He was also something of a star on the swim team although even then he was a loner. The two were in the same English class, and they were both very late in going to it as lunch was long ago over.

"Shouldn't a goody two-shoes like you be in class?" Conner said as he wiped the blood on his hand on the inside of his jacket.

"I had things to do, as I'm sure you did. Shall we walk back to class together, or should we stop at the nurse's office? I would think that would be a good explanation as any as to why you were late."

"And you? What's yours?" Conner had moved his hand to examine it, the skin had turned purple and he could not move two of his fingers without wincing. If coach found out, he was screwed.

"It does not matter. Come, I'll walk you to the nurse's room."

"No thanks." Conner knew the nurse would tell coach and then he'd have to sit out of practice, he couldn't allow that, no it just meant he would have to push through the pain, some way.

"There's nothing wrong with getting help Conner." Kaldur said although as he spoke he felt the weight of a hypocrite upon him. Despite his recent actions, he was not one to ask for him and to advise others to do so left him feeling guilty for he had yet to fully accept help from others.

"Don't need it." Conner said coldly as he walked off, covering his hand. Kal's face fell; he stood amidst all the batter on the floor and sighed. With the butter mess from earlier, it was best to help clean this up. He doubted he'd make it to class at all. With a heavy heart over his own flaws, he walked to the custodians' area to ask for a mop.

Dick watched in silence. Conner so angry, Kaldur so broken. For some reason it made him want to say something, to comfort them but he knew little about them. They both were upperclassmen and he doubted he'd ever have classes with them. He knew Conner was on the football team, Kaldur was on the swim team, and both were ridiculously good at both. They should be happy what with all the awards they won for the school, that and the fact that girls fawned over them constantly. But no, they seemed so... well... they seemed a lot like him.

"I wonder..." and with that Dick had abandoned his ideas of pranking in favor of a whole new idea.

* * *

(A/N:) A wonderful anon reviewer pointed out to me that I accidentally uploaded the chapter of a different story to Gotham Academy as Chapter Four. I don't know how many of you noticed that, but I fixed it :) AND THANK YOU GUEST! Seriously I probably never would have noticed.

Love, Safire


	6. Chapter 6

**Gotham Academy Chapter Six**

His feet hit the tar track, beating the ground with one foot after the other in rapid succession as he accelerated, his speed reaching his limits in a matter of seconds. He kept himself at this pace as he had learned by now not to burn himself out in the first few minutes of the run, but to push himself for that runner's high. Some would say he was an adrenaline junkie, yet there was a shame he felt for he'd never actually reached it, that pivotal moment where one's mind, body and soul reached that level of euphoria, where a human was practically flying on their feet.

He inhaled deeply through his nose, watching as the smear of objects in his peripheral vision flew by, but he kept his eyes ahead of him, watching the curve coming up in the distance.

"Only one more mile left," he mumbled to himself under his breath. "One more mile."

He picked up speed again, pushing himself even further and thus breaking his promise to himself; he wasn't supposed to exhaust himself.

Sweat dripped down into his eyes as the hot sun hit his body; it felt like fire scolding his limbs, adding to the ache in his joints. He'd already run nine miles, and he felt the pain of exerting his muscles start to fade, but the numbness in his mind from fatigue seemed to have a penchant for staying there and annoying him every time he ran. It was more or less a reminder of his humanity, but if he was going to train for the cross-country competition on Saturday, he was going to finish this run, because endurance was one of the most important parts of running. And if he could run ten miles, he could run the eight that the trail was going to be on.

He slowed down to a job on the curve to catch his breath for a bit, and caught a glimpse of the blonde girl that Dick seemed to have the hots for. He'd been spending quite a bit of time with her over the past two weeks, more so than even Wally. Of course Dick often went out with the blonde girl and Babs, the little player.

"He's learning well." He said, although his breathing was a bit labored at his point. As he reached where the girl was, she stood in front of the pole vault, analyzing in some matter, he couldn't help but notice the way the sun touched her hair. It looked like golden fabric, glistening...distracting him.

"CRAP!" Wally had misstepped and found himself on the ground with his knee scratched from the surface of where he had just ran.

"Oh man!" Nearby he could hear a chuckle. He looked up to see the girl laughing at him.

"Excuse me, do you find my injury funny!" Before he could say another word, he tripped again, this time over a loosened shoelace. As he started to get up he could hear the laughter of the whole cheerleading squad. The girls had been stretching off to the side of track and he had completely missed it! He mentally kicked himself because the love of his life, Megan was there, her fitting cheerleader skirt, taunting him. Not only had he missed her doing splits, but she'd seen him fall, _twice_!

The blonde, Artemis, smirked. She regretted running away from him earlier, having been so surprised by his face, she hadn't seen it in _years_...but running away was a child's error; if her father taught her anything valuable it was a coward's life was no way to live at all but a path closer to be killed... the weak cowered, the weak were conquered, she was a warrior...

_I am a fighter._

Something about Artemis's smirk, the way she held her chin high and despite being so short looking so tall... it made Wally's blood boil, _it's her fault._.. she'd distracted him.

"Could you please mind your own business!" He said, his voice quivering in anger. Artemis was taken aback. She had taken a small liking to the redhead from all the things Dick told her and if her memory served her right... he was a good person.

_People change..._

Still, she had nothing against him, he was something of a... good looking guy, although utterly a dork.

"Bleh," Artemis said rolling her eyes. Regardless of how he looked, he was being an ass now and she had no patience for those type of people; anyone who felt entitled had the markings of an enemy and an X somewhere on their body where Artemis would kick if they rubbed her the wrong way.

She picked up her pole, preparing herself when he walked up right next to her, scowling.

"Excuse me blondie, I was talking to you." Artemis turned to look at him. She glared, growing more annoyed by the minute. The more he spoke, the more the memory of her youth faded and all she saw was how privileged living made the young man in front of her a jerk.

_That's what money does... corrupts everyone._

"You said to mind my own business kid, so that's what I'm doing. Now back off before I break something of yours." Wally gasped at her abrasive tone, most girls would giggle at the least or if they were anyway offended wave him away but Artemis... had threatened him.

Even so, he wasn't one to back down from a fight so "back off" was the last thing on his mind.

"Oh right cause you could break something of mine what with building all that muscle flipping a stick around. Yeah, that sure takes a load of skill." He said sarcastically.

"If you think it's so easy," she said quite suavely, "then you try it." She pushed the stick at him, knocking it into his chest.

Wally froze again, he'd gotten himself into a mess and all because of his embarrassment over Megan... he looked over to where the squad had been to see they were all still there, worse they were watching him. Wally fiddled with the stick, trying to remember how Babs would hold it during practice but his mind had gone blank; all he could see was Artemis's golden hair falling like some sort of ice cream swirl over her shoulder. .

"Hmm, seems like you're all talk and no game. Big surprise, I'm sure that's true for other areas as well." Artemis winked and took back the stick, laughing.

"Wait!" Wally yanked off his t-shirt, it was sticking to his skin anyway and if he wanted to best impress Megan he knew his body was the way to go. Artemis looked him up and down pretending to be judging a less than flattering physique when in actuality she was biting her tongue because his torso was quite astonishing...delightfully so.

"Uh Baywatch, that's not part of pole vaulting," she said in a deadpan voice. Had she let out any emotion she'd start to drool.

"I know that MissThing. But I'm giving the ladies a nice view." He smiled and took the pole back, he stepped backwards and examined the distance between himself and his destination. Artemis looked over at the squad and frowned. _So he's doing this for them._

"Check this out Megalicious!" He called and a redheaded girl giggled. Artemis's frown deepened. _Attention whore,_ she thought, rolling her eyes.

Wally pulled the stick back, then pushed it into the ground, he hoped to use his momentum to lift him over the bar but in the next second his body was hitting the bar instead and he fell back onto the mat, the stick having fallen to his side.

His vision was blurry and all he could hear was laughter. Artemis moved closer to him, she was shocked by the scars on his back, burn marks of some sort... different from the cigarette burns her father gave her... she rubbed her arm recalling the horrible memory.

_He was there then too... freckle faced..._

"Nice going Baywatch, you want your shirt back cause there's a bruise forming and I don't just mean your ego." Wally attempted to glare but the movement of his eyes gave him a headache. He wanted to sleep now, and hide because the cheerleaders were still practicing...

"Get up kid, you need to go to the nurse." Artemis grabbed his arm, pulling him up. He moaned as she pulled his arm over her shoulder. The last thing she wanted to do was carry him there but to leave him out in the sun after having the wind knocked out of him wouldn't be the right thing...and Dick might not be too pleased if she left his little boyfriend to die.

_And I owe him._

"Get off harpy, I don't need your help." Wally said in a daze, he'd rather be left lying on the ground then be carried off by her. She carefully moved her arms over him, trying to avoid the burns.

"I'd gladly let go but Dick wouldn't be too pleased with me, after all you are his girlfriend." Wally frowned.

"Go away, I'd rather have the pretty girl carry me. MEEEEEEEGAN." Artemis dropped him on the track hoping the impact would knock him out and she wouldn't have to hear him complain and whine over Megan. Sadly, he was still conscious.

"I don't know what he sees in you." Wally said as he struggled to walk, Artemis saved him from falling over by wrapping her arms around his body. He didn't object, and the two slowly walked towards the nurse's room. Artemis began to think about this "he" Wally had said. The only "he" it could be was Dick. _He_ was sweet, yes but also young. It wasn't just the year and a half between them that made them so different, it was experience. She had been through so much in fifteen years and it couldn't compare with the snuggled rich life Dick lived. Artemis knew her life differed too greatly from the rest of the academy and thus nothing could work between anyone here at the school, not unless they were a scholarship kid like her... and even then... there were too many shadows in her past, the skeletons were practically falling out of the closet. How many people could understand her, accept her full heartedly knowing _everything_.

They arrived at the nurse's room; Wally, still shirtless, rested on a medical bed with his hands on his ribs. A few of them had cracked.

"You're an idiot, we have a meet this week... idiot." Artemis said as she waited for the nurse to get off the phone, her arms were crossed in tight fists.

"You say that like you hate me but your eyes are on my build." He winked. Artemis punched his arm and he let out a groan. She was pretty strong for someone so small.

"I don't understand why Babs and Dick are friends with you. Everything that comes out of that giant mouth of yours-"

"Whoa, slow down. Babs and Dick are my friends, way before they were ever yours." Wally moved up to defend himself but the pain in his ribcage had him falling back onto the bed.

"Ack!"

"See, idiot." Artemis said satisfied despite having been cut off by Wally, being interrupted in any form was her pet peeve and it's what often lead to quite a few street fights. She wanted to go now, all the things she wish to leave behind were being drudged up out of some abandoned septic tank. She wanted to head back to the track and forget, feel the air between her hair with the leap of the pole vault, the over reaching sensation of making it farther than a human could.

_And I need to get ready for Saturday's meet._

Still, she didn't move because... something about his green eyes that had now gone watery from the pain, something about his freckled chest slowly blueing... she didn't want to leave him.

_And why the hell not! _She thought as he moaned again.

"We should probably...try and be friends since...well we share some." Artemis said through gritted teeth. Her mother had been lecturing her for the past two weeks about civility and that it was some sort of magical key to making friends. She'd also said that if she didn't control her temper and smooth out potential explosions such as the one about to go down between her and Wally, she'd end up in front of a judge... again.

"Okay Blondie, I can play nice guy, just for you since there's no way in hell I'm going to try and woo you." Artemis winced at the word "nice guy." She had dated a bad boy in the past, in her eyes there was nothing wrong with a "nice guy" in fact, she'd much prefer one over a player like Wally._ As if I was even thinking about dating this moron._

"Okay Blondie-"

"It's Artemis."

"Okay _Artemis_, what's that look for?" She touched her face without thinking, why did she feel so self conscious all of a sudden? _Damn it_, if her cheeks were turning red she would need to run and fast... but subtly.

"What look?"

"The repulsed look. I know it can't be from me seeing as how I'm flawless." Wally smiled seductively at her. He wasn't interested in her romantically but he was curious if he could get the tough girl to blush, it's what he always did with the females, it's what made him feel accomplished.

"The look was for your warped view of what a 'nice guy' is," Artemis said cooly, "A 'nice guy' isn't a bad thing, it's a great thing actually. It means a guy who will treat a girl with respect, because nice guys see women as their equal. They treat them like they _matter_, not some prize or possession." She whipped her long hair around and pushed the door open, angry at herself for having stayed so long; no matter the debt she owed him it wasn't worth listening to him talk.

Wally watched her go with his mouth slightly open. He wasn't used to a girl who'd say things like that, he wasn't used to being put in his place. Sure Babs and Karen rolled their eyes but they never said anything, in fact... most people in his life were enablers, they found him comical at best.

"But I don't want to be the funny guy," he whispered. He wanted to be more than that. Artemis's words really resonated with him, had he settled for comic relief? Did he dilute his beliefs of the word "niceness" to the point of misunderstanding the meaning?

He knew who he wanted to be, _the stud_... like the guys on the football team, he wanted to be that cliche and yet he still found himself in the background. God forbid the ladies swoon over the science geek... aw hell, he was the president of the science club. What girl would want the adorkable kid, what girl would want him?

It was six O'Clock and Artemis was dead tired. She could feel herself being weighed down by all the sweat trickling over her body. The bus stop seemed so far away and all she wanted was a ride home; that wasn't going to happen. She'd refused to let anyone drive her "home" all the way to the west side of the city where the police alarms were always sounding as were the bullets and cries of those shot or knifed.

"Artemis, you really overdid it today." Babs said as she handed her friend a water bottle. Artemis took it, uncapping the top quickly and guzzling down the water as fast as she could before answering.

"I just wanted to get ready, never been to a meet before. Only thing I've ever done was archery and that's more of standing still and a lot less flipping through the air." The pair started walking back to the locker room; Artemis felt as though her body was jelly, moving to the left and right in small increments, testing her balance with each step.

"True, but Pole Vault requires hand eye coordination and excellent depth perception, those are needed for archery so technically you should be a beast at this." Babs nudged her friend hoping she'd lighten up a bit. The extra practice she'd put in today had her worried.

"I... yeah."

"Come on Artemis, stop doubting yourself. You'll be great Saturday, as long as you rest okay? You can't go overboard like today." The two were on the steps now, a few people were giving them looks, or rather giving Artemis looks. The majority of the school was aware that Artemis was a scholarship kid but it was Tuppence who'd gone and spread a rumor that she'd gotten it because her parents were part of Gotham's mafia and were threatening to execute several members of the academy's board if they didn't let her in. It was a ridiculous theory but at least a quarter of the school believed it. Another half of the school was at convinced she had a record...

_Well..._

Artemis tried to ignore them and focus on Babs. She was asking her about archery club and what it takes to shoot a bulls eye. When they reached the locker room a few girls had grabbed their bags, eyed Artemis and took off. By then she couldn't take it anymore.

"Yea you should run cause you know I'll knife you otherwise!" Artemis screamed as the last of the girls exited. She high kicked the wall, rather than pulling back she let her foot slide down. As she did so, she let her body fall to the ground and sat in silence as Babs leaned against the area she had just kicked.

"That's pretty impressive, you a martial artist?" Babs said. She was trying to change the mood, direct Artemis's attention to something else. She looked so small sitting on the locker room floor...

"Kickboxing." Artemis said. Her hands were pulling at one another, she wanted to go home and sleep in her bed and never ever come back to this school. At Gotham West she had a place, she had a gang, she could walk the halls with purpose but here at the academy all she got where whispers of "hide your bag" or "she stabbed a man" or "I hear she put her baby up for adoption."

"Hmm, well that's something you and Dick kinda have in common. He's a martial artist, something of a prodigy actually. I bet you guys could exchange moves."

"Are you seriously trying set me up on a date with a freshman?" Artemis got up off the floor and smirked. She wasn't sure if Dick had a crush on her or not, she hung out with him more than anyone else at the academy but that was because he was always inviting her places. Just the other day he'd invited her to his debate, she'd watched from the bleachers finding his high voice kinda adorable whenever he tried to vehemently argue his point. Next week, she was going to his chess match even though the idea of sitting through one melted her skull with boredom. She sighed, why was she going?

_Because he's going to my meet... I mean Babs and my meet..._

"I think you guys would look good together, I mean you already hang out _so much._.." Artemis noted what she believed to be jealousy in Barbara's voice.

"Why are you pushing him on me when you're the one who likes him?" Barbara's lips quivered in what Artemis thought was a motion that indicated she was right because she'd caught Babs off guard. Instead of shaking and admitting what Artemis thought was the truth, Babs' small quiver turned into a smile and then a laugh.

"A-Artemis," She said in between breaths, "Dick," more laughter, "Is like my brother!"

Artemis blushed, she wasn't one to understand romance and thus she wasn't about to refute what Babs said even though her instincts screamed otherwise.

"Ok... maybe you're right. Maybe I should go out with him."

"Good!" Babs picked her bag and headed out the door, she had a few ideas brewing in that little head of hers and because of her impatience she had to get them started as soon as possible.

"Babs!" Artemis called out but the redhead was gone and Artemis was left alone, regretting she had said anything at all.

"Parking lot D," Megan mumbled to herself as she wandered around the multiple parking lots of Gotham Academy. Everyone here seemed to have a car, everyone always seemed to drive around the city flashing all their cash about. Megan's family certainly had money but she had grown up in the south and there was a little something called southern hospitality where one would keep their money in their pockets and not flaunt as a way of bragging. She never said this out loud though, she couldn't. People at school accepted her, loved her. Even her culinary teacher adored her despite the batter incident. Although her teacher couldn't really hate her when she had come into class with tears in her eyes and a puffy face, begging for forgiveness.

"Megan!"

A car honked from behind Megan, and she whirled around to see a blackconvertible pull up next to her. Conner was seated behind the wheel, he motioned for her to take the seat next to him.

"Wow." She said. She didn't have a car of her own nor did she know much about cars. She did know that a car like the one Conner drove was for the elite. Megan buckled herself in the passenger seat and Conner hit the gas pedal.

"So my teacher assigned me this poem by John Donne, I need to analyze it and write a small report on it." Conner was trying to make good conversation with her but his tone was uncaring. It wasn't intentional, he just didn't know how to talk to a girl like Megan. Most girls talked all by themselves, touched him a lot and he just went with it. With Megan he felt the need to try and actually participate in the interaction.

"I love John Donne! 'If beauty I ever did see, twas but a dream of thee.''' Megan loved all love poems, she ate them up like food for the brain. Each word written lovingly like the phrase she had just quoted made her heart flutter with all the possibilities of love and what it meant to be in love.

"That's great! I uh... don't really know much about him." That was the trigger, a good trigger for Megan. She started quoting all sorts of works by Mr. Donne and then moved on to other poets, most of whom Conner had never heard of. He sat fascinated by everything she said and almost missed his house completely.

Megan tiltedher head back to see the mansion.

"Wow." She lived in a big home, but it was country, there were farms and fields, acres of golden corn, cows and horses all over the place. Here she saw a pristine home with gray stones and intricate gardens forming patterns on the front lawn.

"It's a bit much," Conner said softly as he helped her out of the car.

"No, it's fine. Kinda reminds me of my home, minus all the animal noises." They walked side by side as Megan told him of the farm, something she hadn't mentioned to anyone else. She was afraid what the others might say if they knew her family was rich because of a bean recipe more so than something fancy like a corporate empire.

"So what does your dad do?" Megan asked as they sat down.

"Oh he's a CEO of some big business. Not really sure what he does besides order people around." He pulled out a jar of peanut butter, offering her some. Megan declined. She couldn't help but notice how empty the house felt.

"It's so quiet here. At home there's never any silence, either a sibling screaming or crying... or an animal running around somewhere. I've... never really heard things so... still." Conner placed his paper on the kitchen table. He envied how much life there was with Megan's home, he wanted to know what it was like for things to be in motion rather than standing still.

"Sometimes too quiet," he said, with all the silence, his voice boomed over the room and she cocked her head, worried she had offended him. Conner took notice and decided to change the subject.

"So is this your first year at the academy? I've never seen you around before." Megan nodded. Her eyes were on the paper. The poem was the one she had quoted earlier and that made her smile.

"Have you been going since your freshman year?"

"Oh yeah...my dad's had me in these prep schools for as long as I can remember, same with my brother." Megan looked up, when he said _dad _there was a sharp iciness and at the word _brother _there was a desolate sadness. It seemed as though he didn't have a very happy home life.

"I was homeschooled for a few grades." Megan looked down again, surprised she'd offered the information. The last thing she wanted anyone to think was that she was one of those homeschooled "freaks." Most kids weren't, but there was the stereotype and if people associate her with that it could lead them into the darker part of her past, the part she'd do anything to hide.

Conner sat down next to her, he had never met anyone homeschooled, he couldn't really picture it. Homeschooling meant the parent teaching, even if his father had the time, it would just be a lot of screaming about not being good enough, not being the best, not being like Clark. He didn't want to think about it further. But he wondered, what was life like for her?

"So... have you ever been to a dance?" Megan shook her head. She'd spent all of her high school years at home with her a table full of packets and a couple of DVDs. Her dad was always out advertising and her mother was more interested in her nails or hair or ordering things from QVC as well as taking care of all the other kids.

"Nope, I guess that'll be a new experience for me!" Conner had his hand on his face now, curved at an angle where he could look at her and leaned his elbow against the table. She seemed like such an optimist.

"Next week is Homecoming, I guess that'll be your first dance then." Megan's eyes sparkled at the very thought. Having been homeschooled for years, she'd spent much of her time watching movies about teenagers, her favorites involving school dances, especially homecoming and prom. She always envisioned herself with her hair wavy, a soft red lipstick with a matching red dress that moved effortlessly with her body. Wendy and Karen had taken her shopping just the other day. She bought an off to the shoulder dress that came down to her thighs. It had a lovely little poof and when she twirled, it twirled with her like a second skin.

"I can't wait! I already have a dress, how about you?" Conner hadn't thought about the dance, not until he mentioned it a moment ago. He was expected to go, he always went and it was always with whoever asked him first. He never had to go out of his way to get a date. In fact, his phone was filled with text messages from a whole lot of girls practically groveling to go with him. He hadn't answered a single one.

"Yeah, I'm going... and... I'll see you there then... right?" Megan giggled, it was clear Conner didn't talk very much, more of the silent type. He was trying.

"Of course! It'll be nice to see you there." She pulled out her box of pencils and pens to get started with the assignment.

"Okay Conner, the first thing about analyzing is writing whatever comes to mind. It doesn't matter if it's silly, just write down what you think of first!" She handed him a pencil and gestured for him to begin. Conner looked down, scanning over the poem instead of reading it. He caught sight of the word love and stopped, circling it slowly.

"Megan?"

"Yes Conner?"

"Would you like to go to the dance with me? Uh, date that is." Megan moved her hand to his, she was both elated and surprised by the question. Never in a million years did she think a guy like Conner would ask her out on a date. When she had come to the academy, the most she hoped for what not to be picked on, to be free of all her bullies. It almost didn't seem right, like she wasn't worthy of it.

"I'd love to go Conner." They smiled at one another, moving closer until their arms touched.

"Oh um," Megan's face turned red, "we should probably get back to the poem." She picked up a pen and drew a smiley face on the page, he chuckled.

"Right, poem, love..." With the word "love" they both sighed but in a good way, in a way that meant something for the future, something good in the future would happen, something between them, something that would mean more than friendship and they both liked that possibility... no... _certainty_.

They both liked that quite a bit.

Megan cheered from the sidelines, her ponytail bounced with her body as her pom-poms soared higher into the air. A few seconds later she was thrown up into the sky by her teammates along with Wendy, the two girls giggling from the rush of flying. Conner was on the field, from time to time he'd look over at the cheerleaders and smile at the redhead practically singing "GO CONNER", although being a trained athlete he was careful to keep his head in the game. Each movement he made could bring the team closer to winning the game or cost them vital time to score more points.

Armed with his massive body of steel and muscle, it wasn't too difficult to tackle some of the larger players on the other team. He was used to feeling the impact of hitting the freshly mowed football field, sending dirt and grass flying up into the air, flying just as Megan was to the right of him. The two were strangely in sync, almost as if psychically linked.

In the bleachers was Wally, dressed in Gotham Academy's band uniform with his trumpet at hand, half-time was minutes away and he had hoped to speak with Megan before it began. Wally had used all his wooing tactics in their science class from light touches to wanton glances but the girl was blind to his attempts, she only smiled at him, patted his head and continued to do her work.

"Your time is now Wall-man." He said getting up to speak with her. He pulled off his band hat, and dumped his trumpet inside. If he had it his way, he wouldn't even be in band, it was something the old Wally did, but his parents refused to let him give it up. Their family friend Jay Garrick was a trumpet player for the army and they wanted Wally to learn as a tribute to him, he was stuck with this piece of his past, not by choice. There was little he was willingly to hold on to, things like science club wasn't a big deal because it was such an underground club devoted to mischief more so than actual learning. Robotics club was for Dick, the two were working on a special project for December's robotics competition. Apart from those things he tried to keep his abundant knowledge of biology and excessive use of tech terminology to a minimum whenever he was in public. Only Dick and Marvin knew of his extensive Star Wars collection.

"Well _hello_ Megan." Wally said leaning over the bleachers, Megan looked to see Wally making a classic seductive face, she giggled.

"Hi Wally." She replied, sweet as ever.

"Megan darling, you're the prettiest girl here and the sweetest, like sugar and you're giving me a nice toothache." He winked at her and she tried to smile back but the flirtation was a bit unorthodox... or rather cheesy.

"Thanks... Wally."

"Welcome Megalicious, now I've got something to ask you and I think you'll appreciate the manner too," Wally began to pull out a box of chocolates from his jacket, they were starting to melt under the heat of his body. It's what he wanted, all to make a clever comment about how she made his heart melt. With his eyes on Megan, he failed to see Artemis walking behind him, she was technically headed to the bathroom but she stopped to roll her eyes over Wally's actions. As she moved to slip past him, Wally stepped back causing Artemis to lose her footing and topple over him.

"HEY!" Wally yelled as the chocolates fell from his grasp and under the bleachers. Artemis's body was right on top of his, she could feel under his uniform and her face turned red. Not only had she embarrassed herself in front of a crowd of people from falling but the position in which she fell was scandalous, her body over his...

Wally also took notice of her but instead of making the expected inappropriate comment, he shoved her off. She nearly fell into the another person, cursing as Wally grabbed her arm to keep her from completely collapsing.

"What the hell was that!" He screamed after making sure she hadn't hit her head.

"You're the idiot tripping me!" She screamed back, she looked over to the redhead he was flirting with. Megan stared at both of them with huge doe-eyes, looking entirely innocent. Artemis felt a bit of hatred to her, she distracted Wally and that's why the two had collided... at least that's what she rationalized after looking at her.

_No... no it was his fault._

"Whatever she-witch!" Wally was about to dive under to retrieve the chocolates when half-time started. He threw his hands into the air as he ran back to the band section. Artemis watched as he fumbled with his hat, his hair a mess from the fall. She smiled because it was... well it was cute.

Dick looked over at Artemis and then to Wally, he couldn't see her face but he did find it unusual that she had her eyes on him instead of just about anything else.

"I think I'll grab some food." Dick said wanting to get a closer look.

"I'll join you!" Babs replied. She took his arm into hers and the two stepped down the bleachers, hopping two at a time until they reached the last one. Artemis was already walking off to the bathroom by the time they reached the concession stand.

"DICK, DICK, DICK, I NEED TO FIND THE WATER!" Babs started to laugh as little Billy ran up to them, exasperated from having searched for water bottles in the locker room for the past few minutes, worried he wouldn't find them in time for the players to rehydrate.

"Relax Billy, the team has their water, remember, it's in those big barrels." Billy put his fingers on his chin as if analyzing what Dick had just said. After a few seconds of pondering, he seemed convinced and smiled.

"Right, sorry, coach put me in charge of the water and I like to make sure!" Dick rubbed Billy's head and nodded. He was the coach's nephew and as such was at every Knights game running about trying to fix problems that didn't exist.

"Where are the love birds?" Just as Babs asked, a little blonde girl jumped from the roof of the concession stand screaming "I AM THE WAFFLE OVERLOAD, FEAR ME!" She landed in front of Billy who tripped over his own shoelace, and fell into the dirt.

"Stephanie." A boy said from the corner of the concession stand, he looked like he had been brooding.

"FEEL MY EGGPLANT FURY!" Stephanie cried as she gently punched the boy on the shoulder, he made no movement until she pulled out a waffle from her pocket and attempted to stuff it in his mouth.

"STEPHANIE!" he yelled while trying to get away from her.

"There they are." Dick said. Stephanie Brown and Tim Drake were the children assigned to Dick and Babs for the "Big Brothers, Big Sisters" program. Stephanie was a handful, often throwing what seemed like an endless supply of waffles, but she always had something positive to say and she was a riot to watch. Tim was the opposite in many ways, quiet and calculating, he never liked to go outside.

Babs and Dick agreed the two were a perfect match.

"COWARD, COME BACK AND FEEL MY MIGHT!" She jumped on him and he fell flat on the ground.

"All this noise is started to get to me," Dick said as he watched the two wrestle. Dick smiled knowingly, _in a couple of years their faces would be flushed for a whole other reason..._

"Let's take a walk Dick." Babs said grabbing his arm, she pulled him to a trail that led to one of the school's many parking lots, they passed by Artemis and waved but her mind was still on Wally, her annoyance with Wally that is. She stormed passed the three children who immediately stopped what they were doing to follow her.

"Stop that!" She yelled, they looked like little ducklings she couldn't shake off.

"LEAD US PRINCESS OF THE MOON!" Stephanie yelled as she latched herself onto Artemis' leg. Artemis groaned.

"So what's on your mind Babs?" Dick asked once they were alone. He side glanced to see her blue eyes reflecting off of the shimmering cars, it was both amusing to him and appealing.

They stood closely enough to where Dick could almost feel her body heat radiating off of her onto him. He took a side glance at her and thought about how he'd always loved the color of her hair.

_Why am I even thinking this?_

"Homecoming." Babs said frankly. Dick stopped moving, he was afraid of where the conversation was headed. He wanted to go with Babs but... platonically...

_I think..._

"Don't worry, I'm not asking you, that's practically incest." Babs said laughing, her arm had left his and she was now punching his shoulder similarly to the way Steph had punched Tim moments ago.

"Oh." Dick said trying to hide his confusion. It wasn't what Babs said that confused him but rather how he felt... disappointed?

"Yea, actually I was thinking you could ask out Artemis." Now Dick was really confused.

"Artemis, what why? Did she say something?" He started thinking over the past few weeks, how often he'd been spending time with Artemis, what the implications of that time meant. He'd been invited her a lot but that was because he didn't want her to feel left out, not because... he had romantic feelings, maybe protective feelings, but... but... hell he didn't know what he felt.

"I just think that if two people like each other, they shouldn't hide it." Babs said, not wanting to startle Dick any further.

"Wait, wait, wait... stop. Artemis said she _liked_ me." Dick imagined going out with Artemis just then, holding her hand, kissing her and he didn't know if he liked the idea. He was a boy and the idea of kissing a girl like Artemis gave him a goofy sort of grin but that was more lust than actual love...

"I didn't say that." Babs moved her head to see Dick's face, she took his smile as her cue to go on.

"Are you going to ask her?" She said now in front of him with her arms crossed.

"Maybe." It was all he could say what with all his thoughts jumbled and his emotions battling one another.

"Maybe is good, yes is better, but no pressure! It was only a suggestion." Babs took his arm again and started leading him back to the bleachers.

The half-time show was almost over, Artemis watched as Wally played his instrument in line with the rest of the band. Everyone looked alike, a musical army of sorts but Wally stuck out to her.

"GO WAAAAAAAAAAAAALLY!" Stephanie screamed, she was jumping up and down next to Artemis; Tim was trying to pull her down by grabbing her hand but it didn't do any good.

"Steph stop cheering the band, it's the football team that's playing," Billy said frowning.

"So what! The band deserves just as much love!" Stephanie started to cartwheel down the steps, Tim followed her worried she might fall and crack her head up.

Despite her eccentricity, Stephanie had Artemis thinking. Wally was cocky and athletic, the football team was a logical choice if he followed the stereotype of a jock, and he certainly tried to. Yet here he was wearing the dorky band uniform. He was, in a way, on the sidelines, and out of glory all the football players got. Seeing him out there moving his fingers and holding his head up high with pride, with every movement quick and snappy, it was as if he was a part of something bigger than himself and nothing else existed and it was apparent for all the world to see, even Artemis.

_Maybe he hasn't changed as much as I thought..._

"Strange." The song ended and the band started walking back, Wally's lips were red from buzzing for so long, had Artemis not interrupted him earlier he could use this as a ploy for a kiss.

_Got them all warmed up for you Megan._

Who was he kidding, Megan was a cheerleader. No matter how hard he tried she wasn't going to go out with him. No matter how much he struggled to break through his old self he was still a loser.

"YAY WALLY!" Stephanie yelled as she lifted her hand out. Wally smiled and high fived her, pleased he had at least one fan, even if it was a strange little fifth grader.

"Nice... playing." Artemis offered, she wasn't the best at giving compliments. Wally eyed her angrily.

"Oh clever, the band kid isn't cool enough to _play_ football, clever."

"I was trying to be nice," Artemis said lowering her eyes. Stephanie had quieted down now, she was watching the two much like she would a soap opera, Tim joined her, both enthralled with what would happen next.

"Uh guys..." Billy said but he wasn't heard.

"Nice? Nice would have been not ruining my moment with Megan, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were jealous." Artemis let out gasp, the audacity he had to say such a thing. Artemis was the jealous type yes, but to imply she had feelings for him... it was so damn egotistically of him to think every girl wanted him!

"This is going to be good." Stephanie whispered into Tim's ear, he nodded.

"JEALOUS? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? Why the hell would I be jealous of any girl being hit on by a little dumbass geek who resorts to cheesy, outdated pick-up lines to get a girl who is so obviously not into him! _You're pathetic_." She paused trying to think of what more she could say but decided adding any more might get her angry enough strangle him. She marched off back to the bathrooms to cool down, passing Dick and Babs once again. They looked at her, trying to get her to stop and talk but she shook them off.

Wally remained standing on the bleachers, grateful the game had started again and the cheerleaders, primarily Megan, were focused on the players and not what had just transpired on the stands. That didn't stop people sitting down from turning to look at the commotion Artemis had started.

Wally backed away into the band section, hiding in the sea of uniforms, hoping everyone would look away.

The last word, "pathetic", got to him, it was everything he _didn't_ want to be, everything he ran from and Artemis had she called him the very word he hated.

With a track meet tomorrow, he could only try to forget what had happened, repress all the bad feelings Artemis had brought to the surface.

"Damn it."

"How long is this supposed to be?" Artemis said a tad bit whiny. She wanted to get out of the heat and into the air conditioned school. Dick and Babs wanted to stay and watch their friend finish the 8 miles, which according to Dick would be finished soon.

"Just hang on Artemis, he'll be turning the corner soon," Babs said pulling her friend back. If Artemis left now, she'd ruin what she and Dick had planned.

"He'll be the redhead with the pompous smile in first place," Dick said as he stepped up onto the fence, watching for his friend.

"Pompous, yes, in first place? Doubt it." Artemis hadn't forgotten her little spat with Wally and the last thing she wanted was to see his stupid grinning face, especially if he won. It didn't matter that she had taken third place in the pole vault, Babs took second. If they kept doing this well, they'd end up in regionals for sure, she wasn't really looking forward to seeing Wally there too. Sadly, he had a reputation for being the best. He took first place in nationals last year and had every intention of having history repeat itself.

"There he is!" Dick yelled. Sure enough, Wally was in the front. Artemis glanced over and did a double take. The goofy kid with a big head full of arrogance had transformed into a serious young man, running on what looked like the drive to succeed rather than glory. She joined Dick at the fence, watching as Wally crossed the finish line. She smiled, if he were more like this instead of trying to be a ladies man, the two might just be friends.

"VROOM VROOM WALL-MAN!" Dick screamed. As Wally jogged by him, the two high fived. Babs called out "BROMANCE."

A few minutes later of having several people congratulating Wally for his success, Dick, Artemis and Babs were huddled together around the concession stand. Dick promised to buy Wally whatever he wanted if he won first place.

"Can I get a pizza with 3 chocolate bars, a soda, 4 bags of chips and a cup of noodles?" Wally said. Dick pulled out his wallet and Babs shook her head.

"Now, when I say pizza I mean A WHOLE PIZZA." Wally stretched out his arms to emphasize his point.

"That much food, really." Artemis said with a hint of disgust. Wally rolled his eyes as he grabbed all the food; he had decided last night that ignoring Artemis as much as possible was the best way to go, confronting her would only lead to more insults and self-reflection...and that always lead him to hate himself.

The four of them sat down on the bleachers, all the events were over now and people were exiting the track. A few more people high fived Wally, or at least tried to; his hands were covered in grease from the pizza.

"Wally share, I'm hungry!" Babs yelled as she reached for a bag of chips. Wally pulled away, opening the very bag she reached for and stuffed his face. Dick narrowed his eyes but Wally continued to munch away. Artemis stood up, walking behind Wally and slapped the back of his head.

"OW!" Wally dropped the bag of chips and scrunched up his face. The blow Artemis had given him hurt, it hurt like hell.

"Enough kid, good boys share their food." Babs and Dick started to crack up. Wally rubbed his head as Artemis started to take a seat next to him. She wanted to pretend like yesterday didn't happen, she wanted to restart the relationship... maybe even see if he... remembered her...

Wally wasn't interested in friendship, in fact, as she sat down he tried slipping a slice of pizza right under her hoping she'd sit on it and get cheese and sauce all of her butt; he'd already forgotten the promise he made to himself about staying away...

_Can't help myself..._

Artemis saw him and reached for his hand, in doing so Wally had dropped the pizza and accidentally moved his hand up... touching her bottom.

"THE HELL," Artemis said, seething. Babs and Dick were practically tumbling down the bleachers from laughter. Wally's face turned red. He pulled his hand back, shrugged his shoulders and stuffed more food.

_Stay away Wally, just stay away from this she-devil._

"Excuse me Baywatch, but a gentleman apologizes when he inappropriately touches a woman." She grabbed the top of his shirt to make sure he was paying attention.

"Be thankful I graced you with a touch at all." He mumbled as he stuffed a candy bar in his mouth. He really didn't want to complicate things with an apology and by complicate, he meant breaking his cover of what he believed to be suaveness.

"You are a pig." Artemis said, growling at the end of each syllable.

"Yeah and you're a harpy from the hood, I should be terrified since you're probably related to a gang, mommy and daddy out of rehab yet?" Everyone stopped moving, Wally had crossed a line sounding no better than Tuppence. He had no right to insult her family, especially when he was basing it off of rumors, rumors he didn't even belive...

It was wasn't his intention to hurt her... but once he opened his mouth he couldn't stop, all he could hear was "pathetic" in Artemis's voice playing over and over like a broken record in his head.

"Asshole." Artemis stormed off. The blood vessels under her eyes were straining as she tried to hold back the tears forming. Over her dead body was she going to start crying over something Wally said.

Wally still caught sight of the tear; he started choking on his food. It was a stupid move, he knew that. It wasn't hard at all to just say sorry, to say it was an accident. But that's how life used to be, always apologizing for being a klutz and every time he was in the background, the loser. That's not what he wanted, and that's why he couldn't bring himself to say he was sorry even though he was, even though he knew he'd gone too far.

"Nice going," Babs said hitting Wally's shoulder, "Dick go check on her."

Dick nodded, smacking Wally's forehead to say "not cool." The comment wasn't Wally and he wasn't sure why he'd say it. He knew something had happened between Wally and Artemis yesterday but not the details. Tim didn't want to talk about it, he said it wasn't his "place" to do so and he made Stephanie promise to keep her mouth shut. When he asked Billy the boy just shook his head and said "teen angst."

Dick found her pacing back and forth in the outside entrance of the locker rooms. She kept kicking the ground and mumbling under her breath; Wally really pissed her off.

"Artemis." She looked up, poking her tongue into the side of her cheek. Dick laughed and she started to smile.

"What it is Dickie?" she asked trying to feign her smile.

"Just wondering why you were all alone. You know Babs and I would have rather kicked out Wally than have you leave." Dick's voice was sympathetic, he knew what an ass Wally could be, seeing as how he'd known him for the past four years although he'd never seen Wally that vicious before. He'd watched as Wally changed from the geeky kid to the geeky kid pretending to be a player. He wanted more than anything to tell Artemis this, that Wally really was a good guy and the two would actually be really good friends that could bond over things like their mutual love of dogs or cooking if she just knew the truth but as Tim would say, it wasn't his "place."

"Whatever, you wanna see a movie or something? I can pay this time." Artemis didn't want to talk about being "alone" or about Wally. She wanted to get away from this school. Joining anything at this school was looking more and more like a bad idea. She liked track, she liked archery, but she could do without all the looks. It had become clear at yesterday's archery practice that the school didn't care for her existence. Several of her "teammates" had messed with her bow, she'd nearly blinded herself when shooting an arrow because someone had snapped the arrow in half and tapped it only halfway. She blamed herself for it, if she had been paying more attention she would have noticed the change in weight, but no, she had been too preoccupied with the glares all around her.

Dick put his hand on her shoulder, he used his other hand to lift her chin.

"Hey, you're not alone Artemis. You have friends... you're looking at one, okay?" Artemis looked into his steel blue eyes and her lips moved into a smile, he had that effect on her.

"Okay." Dick patted her cheek and she playfully pulled his hand. As the two started to walk back Dick stopped, opened his mouth and said, "Artemis, do you wanna go with me to Homecoming?" Dick had asked the question in one breath, worried that if he stopped he wouldn't get through the whole thing. Artemis didn't look at him, only at the track ahead. She didn't know what to say. She had no plans of going to homecoming, she had no dress, no shoes, only her raggedy clothes from thrift stores and a few items purchased at K-Mart during a blue-light special. Hell, here was her friend asking her out on a date and all she could think about was clothes. This school was already influencing her.

"Dick... I'd love to go but... dances aren't really my thing." Dick should have felt relieved, relieved that he didn't have to go through an actual date and all the romantic bits like hand holding and dancing together, his hands on her waist, her arms around his shoulders. But he wasn't relieved, he was _sad_.

"Artemis, I promise I'll make it fun!" There was a bit of desperation in his voice and Artemis began to feel guilty. What's the worst that could happen anyway, more glaring?

"Well, I don't have a dress so you'll have to come shopping with me." She said winking. Dick laughed, "Yeah, because this mathlete knows how to accessorize."

Megan arrived arm and arm with Conner, everyone around them was already whispering about them being the "it" couple of the school. The adorably sweet cheerleader dating the quarterback of the football team, it sounded like a regular after school special fantasy. Even better, they'd won the homecoming game the night before. Artemis stuck out her tongue at the sight of them. She found Conner cute, but the trite matter of it all left her queasy. Dick nudged her in the ribs. She ruffled his hair in return, Dick laughed but was a little annoyed by the sibling-like gesture.

"You two gonna dance or what?" Babs said smirking, as she pushed the two of them together and outward to the dance floor. They nearly fell over. Dick grabbed Artemis's hand, stuck his tongue out at Babs, and then proceeded to twirl Artemis across the dancefloor. She wrapped her shoulders around his neck, trying to keep her balance in heels. From across the room, sitting next to Babs, Wally watched, annoyed by the whole spectacle. Last year, he'd gone to homecoming with Marvin and few others from robotics club. With Dick here, he had hoped they could have hung out more, trolled for ladies and everything else that their little bromance entailed. But no, he was off swinging around Artemis, the little what's-another-word-for-harpy?

All around the dancefloor, Wally saw couples touching one another in either sickenly sweet ways out of a romance novel or inappropriately with rising sexual tension. There were couples like Dick and Artemis, just starting out, couples like Wendy and... was that Tommy Terror? Yeah, couples that were destined to fail like them. Wally scowled, it wasn't until he saw the love of his life, Megan, dancing with the star football player, that he'd hit an all time low.

"Aw man!" he cried out, causing a startled Babs to knock over her cup of punch into his lap. He could not walk around the Homecoming dance looking like he'd just peed himself. Babs laughed unapologetically, Wally was being a negative Nancy and she was not going to have it.

"Thanks for caring," Wally said sarcastically as he got up to sneak off to the bathroom, hoping no one would notice the little accident. Two years ago at the junior homecoming dance for the 7th and 8th graders, things had been easier, all he did was jump into the center of the floor, moving and jiving without any coordination but he was happy. Now as a sophomore, all he thought about was image.

Barbara sat cross-legged at the table, casually sipping punch as if nothing had happened, and watched the colorful lights flash around the dance floor as teenagers indulged their raging hormones with awkward thrusting. She rolled her eyes, trying to remember why she'd come in the first place. Dick and Arty were dancing, Wally was nowhere near her, and the punch tasted pretty amazing. All was well in Babsland, that is until she grew bored of sitting which took all of two minutes. She turned to the left to see Marvin against the wall checking his iPhone.

A smile played on her lips as she entertained the thought of going out there and having some fun... but she wasn't about to dance alone, and she couldn't let Marvin be a wallflower either.

"Hey Marv," He looked up, a little confused that someone was attempting to communicate with him outside of computers and anime, "I'm thinking I might hit the dance floor, and _you_ are going to come have fun too."

Before he could respond, she gave him an innocent smile and dragged him off with her. After a few awkward steps, Marvin got the hang of things and the two seemed to be pretty well off. Dick hadn't even noticed the girl, who he had once thought of romantically, was dancing with another guy.

He only had eyes for Artemis.

She was something like a goddess in her green grecian dress. It was strapless and so her arms were bare, her olive skin had a lovely glow and Dick felt as though he were far away on an island with her, if only it weren't for all the grinding. It would be nice if people actually danced instead of mimicking Jersey Shore.

At the other end was Conner, holding onto Megan tightly, the two seem utterly fixated on each other. They had just met and they were already showing all the signs of a couple having dated for years. Wally had returned from the bathroom to see the two in a loving embrace, he wasn't very pleased. The one girl he was going for, full heartedly that is, was already with another guy, the classic guy that every girl goes for, the guy that he was always in the shadow of.

"I just can't seem to get it right." He sat back down, frustrated with his nonexistent love life. He shuffled his feet on the floor, leaving black rubber marks, it was the only way he could entertain himself. Somehow he was back in sixth grade, with braces and a pocket protector. No matter how hard he worked to forget the past, he'd never be able to completely erase who he was. He looked back at Dick and Artemis, having a ball, for some reason that angered him more than anything else; Artemis looked...breathtaking.

"Doesn't mean I can't try." He jumped off his seat and and reached for a fellow sophomore, Bette Kane, who had been peacefully eating pretzels.

"You're pretty light on your feet for a tomboy," Dick joked, Artemis looked more like a princess than anything else tonight, especially with her hair in a braided bun. She had these little flower pins circling around her forehead and back into the sides of her hair, something like a fairy. She was a fairy princess goddess and Dick couldn't be happier. Artemis pinched his shoulder.

"Hey!" Dick said with a smile. Before Artemis could say anything, the DJ spoke, and what he said left Artemis panicked. He'd just announced... _the slow songs_.

"Uh... Dick? You know how it was hard for me to agree to dance at all?" Artemis started, already inching away from the dance floor.

He raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well _that_ I could improvise. Slow dances? No thanks."

Dick saw the look on Artemis's face and knew there was no cajoling her into dancing this time. She didn't want to, and that was that. He wasn't going to force her to do anything she really didn't want to do, not after they'd already had so much fun.

He gently took her hand and they walked away from the chaos of the dance floor that was changing from intense gyrating to sucking face; instead of grinding, couples were now making out. All except Marvin and Babs, who were now staring into Marvin's phone screen, debating which Young Avenger was their favorite and Wally and Bette. Wally was stuffing his face pretending not to eye Artemis and Dick while Bette stood at his side, hands on hips wondering what the hell was going on.

"Let's get out of here," he said, "I know a place, it's not far from here, we can walk. Just... make sure you don't make eye contact with any crazies."

"I _can_ take care of myself," Artemis said, laughing at the way he described it. She thought it was endearing, the way someone just as small as he was, felt the need to look out for her.

Wally watched them exit, feeling sick to his stomach. He shouldn't care, it wasn't any of his business that his best friend was off with blondie. No, he shouldn't be jealous of him, he barely knew Artemis and what he did know about her he didn't like, besides her ability to look pretty amazing when she flipped through the air pole vaulting...

_She hates me for what I said... nothing will ever happen._

Dick showed Artemis the shortcut through the park - the nice one that the city actually maintained - because even though she liked acting tough on the outside, even though she preferred action movies over chick flicks and hamburgers over salads, he knew that a simple walk through the park, with the pure, white moonlight shining down through the foliage of the trees and reflecting off the river, was what she needed.

The air was cool and Artemis shivered, although she tried to hide it. Dick pulled off his jacket and threw it over her arms, he felt that placing it neatly like a gentleman would make her feel more like a damsel in distress. Artemis appreciated it and even laughed.

"This seems a bit too gentlemanly Dick." They reached a park bench and sat down, the only sounds were the quiet streets of cars heading home for the night and a few crickets playing a lullaby.

"I threw it at you though." Dick gently punched her arm in hopes she'd feel more relaxed and less like she needed to act like a lady.

"But now you're cold, aren't you?"

"Maybe if I was wearing a strapless dress instead of a long sleeved shirt, then I would be freezing." Artemis punched him back, only harder, so hard he fell off the bench and into the grass. A bit of dirt even got on his face.

"Dick!" She reached over to pull him up but he was already turning, with a thumbs up and a derpy smile covered with grass.

"Grass isn't my cup of tea, how about milkshakes instead?" Artemis helped him up, she put her hands on his face to make sure he hadn't gotten a concussion. The two looked eye to eye for a good minute as she examined him. Once she was satisfied, she wiped the dirt off his face.

"I love milkshakes, lead the way."

As they started to exit the park, a shady man started walking towards them. Artemis gripped onto Dick's arm tightly, not because she was afraid, but because she was suspicious. She felt his muscles tense and knew he was getting the same vibe.

She held in her breath as they passed by him, preparing herself to strike should he make any sudden movements; it was the instinct she was born with, to be more alert, to expect the worst humanity had to offer.

She didn't have to wait long for humanity to prove her right.

The man pulled out a gun, Dick's instinct was to stand in front of her but Artemis was faster. She high kicked the gun out of his hand and in doing so the fabric of her dress slipped down, revealing a holster with a knife. She yanked it out, swinging around the man until she was behind him, with her feet digging into the ground, she had her arm around his neck and the knife at his throat.

"You're going to walk away and never look back. Got it?" The men nodded his head, as much as he could with her grip so tight; he was petrified. Artemis pulled back, as the man stepped away she kicked him in the right kidney. He fell to the floor.

"Too slow," Artemis said threateningly. The man got up off the ground quickly and started running; he ran right out of the park and out of sight. Artemis looked over at the gun. It was a semi-automatic M9 handgun. Easy to wield, and pretty damn powerful. Had she been with someone from Gotham West or by herself, she would have grabbed it and kept it for herself, a tool to use for the next person stupid enough to try and steal from her.

... But with Dick... he wouldn't understand. For his part, Dick stood there, somewhat perplexed by the whole thing.

"That's impressive." Artemis didn't want to dwell on what had just happened, she slipped the knife back in and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of the park.

"Are you a kickboxer?" He asked when they were in the safe light of a sidewalk.

"Yes, and I hear you're a martial artist. Why the hell did you just stand there?" She wasn't expecting an answer, her annoyance came from the fact he was still on the subject.

"Okay, I get it. Turn here." They turned the corner and standing in front of them was an ice cream shop. They stepped inside, a few of the customers looked up, as the pair were in formal wear. Artemis glared, not wanting to deal with anyone looking at her.

"Chocolate milkshake," she practically demanded at the counter. Dick put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it in hopes she'd calm down.

"I'll have a strawberry milkshake." He said as he laid money down.

"I can pay for myself," Artemis pulled out a few dollars from her cleavage. Dick's eyes bulged out from his skull. He could see a bit of her Victoria's Secret bra when she reached down, or what he believed to be Victoria Secret having seen quite a few of them from Wally's magazines.

After the two had received their drinks, Dick was hoping she'd sit down and talk about what had happened. Instead she took her drink and headed right outside.

"Artemis!" He had trouble keeping up with her. She power walked all the way to a fire escape of some apartment and started climbing up. He kept calling after her but she wouldn't say a word. All he could do was follow her. By the time he'd caught up with her, she had her legs dangling over the roof, calmly sipping her milkshake.

"Artemis..." Dick sat down next to her and she pulled her lips from the drink, they were red from the suction of the straw, much like Wally's had when he played the trumpet... she could see the lips now, the small lines, the curl of the bottom lip...

_Stop Artemis, stop. He's not who you thought he was._

"I'm sorry. I just... I don't like talking about things that relate back to my past." Dick nodded, he knew that better than anyone. He motioned for Artemis to try his drink and she smiled. After taking a few sips she made the same gesture.

"I'm here to listen if you want, you know that?"

"Dick... I... I have... bad blood. It's not something I'd want anyone at The Academy to know about, not that I care but... they judge and I don't need that." Dick put his arm over her shoulder and hugged her.

"You don't deserve any of the crap you get. You're a good person Artemis, blood doesn't mean a thing." She looked up at him from the side of her eyes.

"What makes you so different Dick? You and Babs... and Karen... but especially you. Why aren't you like the rest of them?" Dick hesitated, the only person who knew his past was Wally. Babs only knew he was adopted and he had once been an acrobat, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her all the details, how his parents had died. He'd known Babs for years, he'd only known Artemis for two weeks! And yet, his mouth was already opening.

"Well... I wasn't always Richard Wayne... have you ever wondered why the others call me Grayson?" Artemis propped herself up.

"I just assumed it was your middle name?"

"It's my last name, my real last name. I'm adopted. I... didn't live with Bruce, that's my adoptive dad's name, until I was 9." Artemis knew Dick was a few months shy of being 14, this meant he'd only lived as a Wayne for a couple of years.

"Who were you... before?" She tried to be delicate about it, she knew how much trust it took for Dick to tell her this much.

"I was Richard Grayson, the youngest flying Grayson. Uh, Flying Graysons being my family, we were acrobats in Haley's traveling circus." Artemis knew there were only two things that could have happened if Dick was adopted. Either his parents were like her own, addicted to drugs with arrests all over their record, or they had died. She doubted it was the former.

"What happened?" She asked as quietly as her voice would allow.

"A bad man killed them." There was a long silence. Dick was the first to break it, he made loud slurping noises with his drink and Artemis laughed although she didn't want to. After another moment passed, she pulled her knife out.

"They teach you how to use these in karate?" She was trying to change the mood.

"Hell yeah." Dick said taking the knife from her hand and throwing it below at a soda can. It hit the mark right on point.

"Show-off." Artemis pulled out another knife and Dick started choking on his own salvia.

"How many of those do you have?"

"A whole damn collection." She threw the knife farther, all the way to a streetlight that had been flickering much to her annoyance. It hit the glass, shutting it off for good.

"Look who's talking." She rolled her eyes and sipped her milkshake again. There was a bit more silence and then Artemis spoke again.

"Dick, I want you to know that I appreciate how much you trust me and I trust you too even if I can't say..."

They turned to face each other. Artemis wasn't sure what it was about his face at that moment, maybe the small smile creeping at the corner of his lips or his steel blue eyes being hit by the moonlight, but she couldn't stop herself from moving her lips to his. He didn't resist the kiss, in fact he placed his hands on her waist, pulling her in. A slow, satisfied moan emanated from Artemis' throat. In response, Dick pulled his hand up, into her hair, feeling it as if it were silk falling into his fingers. As she pressed harder, Dick breathed in the pressure like a new source of air. She mimicked his inhale with her own exhale, the two breathing together, in and out harmonically.

Artemis wasn't sure what she felt for him and it was likewise on his end. For all they knew they were just friends that found themselves in a vulnerable position, but for right now neither wanted to think about it, they just wanted to enjoy what was now. Their painful pasts faded and their futures so far away. All that was present was a milkshake flavored kiss between two kids on a rooftop.

Kaldur eyelids were falling over his eyes every other minute but he couldn't stop. He was once again on his computer playing his character in another battle, one much like the others. All those who came across him either envied him and wished to destroy him or worshipped him and wanted his help.

"How fitting for life." He said to himself. The rest of campus was either asleep or wandering around getting drunk after homecoming, which he did not attend by choice. It was 1:51 am, and this was how Kaldur spent most nights, awake in his room, gaming. The boy had somehow managed to get to his dorm, do his homework and then spend the rest of his free time fighting in a fantasy land. During classes he was always thinking about the game, swimming was his only time away from the world he created, a happy medium between the life he was forced to live and the one he delved too deeply in. He knew it was unhealthy, borderline addiction but he didn't care.

The rest of the world was out tending to crushes, chasing after lovers, kissing and God knows what else. Kaldur wanted no part of it. All he wished for was to lead his group and fight and escape. He was alone, all alone in the darkness of his room with all the light of his computer screen and that comforted him. He did not want what the world had to offer, he only wanted all that was pretend because it was safe. He continued to play the game, decapitating all those in his path.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Conner watched the circles of his cereal bounce in his milk like small little lifelines trying to keep their head above water but always succumbing to the pull until they drowned below. He hated soggy cereal.

"Conner?" He put his spoon down, looking over at the front door where his father had just put down his suitcase and untied his tie. He started sliding quietly off his seat, hoping to reach the back door before his father realized he was home. He had just had the best night of his life with a girl he adored and for once enjoyed a school event because of her. He was still on his euphoria trip and he didn't want it to end, not yet.

"Conner are you there?" His father asked sternly. Conner backed away, grabbing the handle of the door, trying to turn it without making a sound all the while his father's steps grew closer, sounding more menacing each time the leather soles touched the hardwood floor.

"There you are." He was a few seconds too late, his hand off the door, looking up at his father with a fake warmness, wishing more than anything he could fly to Megan's dorm and listen to her talk about colors and cakes. Even if it wasn't ideal, it was with her and better still, it was away from his father.

"Sorry dad, I was outside, came in when I heard you calling me." Conner lied with ease; Clark was the honest Abe of the family but Conner picked up the art of deception from years of breaking things out of tantrums.

"How's the school year so far?" Lex, Conner's father, had been away on a business meeting; technically the home in Gotham wasn't even his primary home but one of many. He was rarely in any of his homes, usually off in another country using that silver tongue of his to get a deal with another company.

"It's pretty good, Knights are undefeated." He knew that would be the first thing his father wanted to hear, that and his grades…

Lex nodded, not showing even the slightest glint of happiness. He pulled out a glass and his bottle of scotch, taking off the lid and rubbing the top gingerly. Conner watched his father's ritual, he always played with his drinks, the longer he played the more he was thinking and thus more than three minutes of running his hands over the bottle meant deep thought. Conner swallowed hard, afraid of what his father would say next. He needed to distract him; the first thing that came to mind was Megan, but there was no way in hell he'd let his father know about her. This first thing Lex would do is investigate her past, see if her "blood" was fitting for his son. His father was never pleased with anyone, and with Megan being such a sweet, sensitive girl, Lex would surely tear her apart.

_Think Conner… what else…_

"I was thinking about joining another club." He said as his mind tried to recall the club list that had been posted on the bulletin board somewhere in the hall. Something about baking, dance… robotics was one…

"What club?" Lex said putting the bottle down, his voice reverberated the full arrogance of an aristocrat.

"Robotics," Conner replied trying to sound serious. His father wanted him to be an engineer at Stanford, paying for most of his schooling with a football scholarship. It was the plan Conner was branded with the moment he came out of the womb, the plan his father had for him and expected to be carried out.

"Why did you wait until your junior year to join?" His father began to pour the alcohol into the glass, sharpened with diamond tendrils. There was a sinister way his father could slip the liquid in without so much as spilling a drop and yet holding the glass in mid air, turning it in his hand like a sorcerer casting a spell. He stepped back with his eyes on his son, watching for mannerisms like a quake in the hand, a quiver in the lip, anything to indicate weakness. Lex's hands reached for the whiskey, he loved experimenting with drinks and watching the shades change, especially with Scotch and Whiskey, the orange shifting to a deep red, like blood congealing fresh off a wound, swooshing around and around in the clear glass, moving in methodically timed circles.

Conner observed every detail of this, knowing his father's actions always encompassed precision and a careful eye for detail. Nothing he did was cursory, nor would he allow his sons to pay scant attention to their own work, otherwise they'd pick up bad habits such as… failure…

"Figured anytime to join is better than never," Conner replied, trying to quell the growing urge to lash out at his father with a string of sentences colored in profanity.

Lex held his concoction to his lips, taking simmered sips as he watched Conner struggle to remain calm; he enjoyed watching his son stifle temptation for in his mind it built character.

"Very well then. There's a showcase at the end of the semester. I expect to be impressed." With that, Lex left the room. Conner mumbled all the word he held back, his fingers scratching the counter.

A loud crashing sound was heard seconds later, without being conscious of it, Conner had grabbed the bottle and thrown it to the opposite end of the room where it hit the frame of a painting from one of his father's travels, worth thousands more than Conner.

—-

Artemis had been scrutinizing over her reflection in the side of the luminous, glossy red hue glistening off the motorcycle like a gem in a cave. The color and the features of her face were a stark contrast; one beautiful, unbroken, not even a scratch, and the other a clutter of confusion as to whether the asymmetrical lines that made up her face were attractive. It was one of those times when she wondered if she was genuinely pretty. She wasn't the superficial type having been more concerned with comfortable shoes over fashionable ones and the like for her appearance but sometimes she wondered what people saw when they looked at her. Did they just see another plain Jane in need of an attitude adjustment, or did they see something more, a real human being behind the snarky remarks?

Her dark eyes glowered in what seemed like anger but in the next second they softened until they were expressionless, empty, blank. She wondered if they ever held much of anything in them, except for the darkening hatred hidden in the recess of her thoughts.

She liked to keep things to herself, especially the private details of her past that no spoiled peer at the academy ever suffered, most of whom were nestled safely atop the social hierarchy.

"Care to help me with an oil change or are you just going to stare at yourself?" a voice carrying a tone of amusement asked Artemis.

Artemis practically pirouetted to see who had startled, her composure hanging on by a string.

"Yeah I'll be there in a-" she paused, studying the face of the customer that had just entered the shop. She wanted to be sure it was him, not just some look alike before she went ahead and unleashed hell on him like a female fury, broken free from the deepest, darkest, fiery catacombs of hell. After he gave her a cool, mocking grin she knew.

"Cam, what the hell are you doing, you're can't be within one hundred feet of me, remember?" she said, ending with a snarl. She lowered her voice as a familiar whistle could be heard from the store's steps; Ollie entered the room, winking at her before taking notice of Cameron, also known as the boy who gave Artemis months of grief with his inability to keep it in his pants.

"What the mother-"

"Ollie I got this. What the motherfu-"

"Hey calm down babe, I'm just here for an oil change." Internally, Cam was debating over who he should inch closer to, the tiny blonde whose bark wasn't nearly as bad as her bite or the six foot tall weight lifter frowning at him.

"Don't you even dare call me that!" she cried, outraged. Ollie extended his hand, meant to touch her shoulder and calm her down but she sensed the gesture when the air changed near her ear. Years of watching out for muggers and rapists on the streets of Gotham heightened her instincts and she smacked Ollie's hand down without even looking. Ollie took this is a cue to leave; when Artemis was in this state there was no way of talking to her rationally. He gave one last death glare to Cam and then disappeared into the back room.

"Sorry, sorry. Honestly. You know I wouldn't want to get on your bad side." He raised his hands like white flags waving in a field of resignation. Artemis let out a grunt, and nodded. She wasn't in the mood to fight with him, a rarity of a mood to be in.

It was the kiss… the kiss that had her thinking what about her could be desired, loved or was it nothing more than hormonal tension or a mixture of both extremes to create the very thought of such a kiss, his lips to hers… the kiss that had yet to be given a meaning.

_Were we just two vulnerable kids having a moment of life where we throw out what makes sense and let our feelings lead us to the greater moments… or the stupider ones…_

Cameron snapped his fingers in front of Artemis's face; her eyes were saturated with possibilities visible in the small gleam on the edges, like a forlorn girl lost in Wonderland.

"What do you want Cam?" Artemis wanted to keep the conversation short, not so much for the sake of her work but rather she needed time alone to think.

Little did she know the boy preoccupying her thoughts was just outside the shop, picking at the lose skin on his fingers and pacing around the bushes trying to think of what to say. The kiss was days ago and since then it was a whirlwind of sweeten glances, light hand touching and a massive rush of ecstasy. He wasn't looking for a romance like this, but he was enjoying it, and that was terrifying him. It only got worse over the past two days when Artemis was avoiding him.

At first he thought it was paranoia, the way she would be a few feet away one second and then gone the next, like a leaf blown away by the wind. The texts with one word answers, and then nothing at all.

_Is it the age difference? Or maybe being the school's mathlete turned her off._

"I was hoping I'd see Roy around here… he owes me… something. You happen to run into him lately? You know, since your-"

She narrowed her eyes, "Don't say it." Dick has finally drawn up enough courage to walk through the door, from his peripheral vision he could see her and his lips gave way to a faint smile. He then saw the boy she was with along with green spots. Against his better judgment, he quietly tip-toed to her, his back against the wall as if he were a spy in a poorly made action movie.

"Sorry, didn't know it was a taboo to talk about the baby." Dick lost his footing; the salvia slipping down the wrong tube was a catalyst to the rest of his motions from tripping over nothing and making coughing noises from the air that ceased to reach his brain.

_Baby?_

"Is someone there?" Dick crawled to the doorway as Artemis stepped into the main room, looking for the customer she thought she'd heard. There were bottles of car paint and things of the like on shelves dusting away and the light of the setting sun on cars flickering onto the metal vents of the room, but no person in sight.

"Artemis, you really aren't going to-" She held up her hand, folding one finger down at a time, if she reached the profane sign he knew a punch would follow. He pulled back, anticipating her other hand to glide up and bash through his skin. The girl could break through bones if one were to hit the right buttons, and Cam had done that many times over with insensitive statements about her father, her sister and the occasional night out with another girl instead of meeting Artemis for their planned date. Those were his dark days, shooting up heroin watching the veins on his arms thicken and his body fat shrink until he could pick at the saggy yellow skin against his bones. How Artemis put up with him for song long was beyond him. Despite her brand of charm, the girl was a saint for lasting so long, for trying to save him. He had come with the hopes of changing Roy too, the guy had relapsed and with rumors flying about Jade's pregnancy…

"Cam, the baby isn't any of your concern, got it? Now get out before I sic Ollie on you."

"Please babe, I'm way more afraid you," she bore into him and he backed further away, "but I get it… if you see Roy tell him I'm looking for him."

He turned to leave, throwing back one last glance at Artemis before heading out. His blue eyes shone with complete sincerity, like the color of the ocean as the sun began to disappear. "I really do care about you, and I know I put you through a lot of crap, I'm not looking for forgiveness, just tolerance?" He didn't give her a chance to reply, the light of the sun moved from the vents to his hair as he opened the door, it made him look pure, innocent and as the door shut the light was gone.

"Damn it Cam." Artemis walked to the door, touching the glass. He was her first boyfriend, her first kiss, a lot of firsts and one ending. When he cheated on her, she wasn't going to have it, that's what she told herself and when he showed up to her shabby apartment from his latest trip off of LSD she took pleasure from kicking him down the stairs as he called her plenty of curse names. But when she found him on the street slumped over a few homeless people, brown paper bag in one hand and a knife in the other, she'd pull his shoulder over her own and carry him to the closest clinic.

Her attention turned to the red window chime dangling outside. Before she could direct her thoughts somewhere else, she saw Wally in her mind, standing there just as much of an ass as Cam.

"There's a parallel." She whispered. She had helped Wally to the nurse's room…

_Maybe that's how it all started… maybe that's what set me off._

There, Wally was acting like a jerk and broken, not something extreme as overdosing but subconsciously her body told her to run away because he had too many similarities to her ex and for that to be true, she had to have developed feelings for him to be scared off.

_Hell no._

Artemis exhaled heavily, hoping to expel any possible romantic feelings she might have for the freckled face d-bag, and walked back to the red motorcycle knowing full well she'd be pondering attraction, both her own and any attraction she ever had for Cam, Dick and…

"Nope, not gonna say it."

Dick lifted his head up from the stacked tires, looking up to see if the coast was clear. Was it possible Artemis had been pregnant and with someone like this "Cam" character? It was obvious they had a history and what with him being part of her past, he doubted Artemis would offer that information willingly.

"I doubt she'd let the heat of the moment get to her." Dick leaned against the wall with his hand on his chin, he was thinking logical and let the pathos out of the situation but it lasted for less than a second because his next thought was, "…Did I just imagine Artemis having…oh my" Dick closed his eyes to block the image but it only worsened the situation by adding details, fine tuned details.

"Crap… well…" Dick chuckled; he was a boy after all.

_But back to the matter at hand, I need to do some serious research…_

Dick was a nosy little rascal and when mystery arose, especially ones about Artemis, he couldn't help himself but find out the truth.

_I promised I wouldn't ask, I didn't say anything about investigating._

—-

The school's database of all the students was the perfect place to start his search of Artemis's past. They had detailed records on all who attended, from their medical records, to background checks of their parents.

The only problem was the breaking and entering aspect of his little mission. He could bypass the mainframe by connecting to the network but he needed the teacher's security code for access. Dick needed to do things the hard way, he needed to get in and get through the network directly.

He knew the perfect candidates to employ as his cohorts for the whole trespassing phase of his plan.

Dick started with the person least likely to resist joining him- Barbara Gordon.

He'd arrived at her home around eleven at night wearing all stealthy black clothing, perfect for sneaking over fences such as the one surrounding Babs's backyard. This was the safest route to take given that her father was the commissioner of Gotham and a grade A hardcore cop. Being caught meant staring down the barrel of a gun as he frantically tried to come up with a good explanation for trespassing and climbing up to his daughter's bedroom. At best, he'd be arrested and his one phone would be to Bruce who'd rather let him stay a night in jail just for the fun of it.

He kept to the shadows as he searched for the right window. Babs's window was the one with the bright yellow curtains, as thin as gossamer… or so he recalled from his last visit. It had been quite some time and he couldn't exactly remember all the details of her room. There had been no reason to memorize the color of curtains, he barely remembered the color of her home.

_Damn details…_

He shuddered remembering his all too detailed image of Artemis earlier.

_I will never get that out of my head… hmm._

All those years ago…think Dick think….It was for a science project in the sixth grade, and her dad watched them the whole time, cleaning his gun at the dining room table. Dick was sure he flashed his gun multiple times as a warning, if worded it would have been something like "touch her, you die, look at her, you die, breathe, you die." It was pretty terrifying for a little eleven year old.

Dick decided the best thing to do was hide in the bushes just in case her dad unexpectedly woke up for a midnight snack and checked outside the windows.

_Dick: Babs I need you for a mission, you in?_

A cool breeze rustled the prickling leaves of the bush; Dick felt it against his skin, shivering although the September air was still warm.

_Barbara: Depends. What kind of "mission" are you talking about?_

_Dick: Well you'll just have to come out here and see, won't you?_

_Barbara: I don't like games Wonder Boy, give me the details or else I'm going to bed._

Dick cackled when he read the word "details" it would forever be a euphemism for a sexual innuendo.

_Dick: It's not my secret Babs._

He knew that's all she needed to know. Babs wasn't one to pry, and if it was someone else's business she'd drop it without debate.

_Barbara: When and where?_

_Dick: I'm right outside, wear stealth clothes, we need to get Tim first and then to the academy._

Babs reread the last text, taking note that Dick was recruiting a ten year old for one of his nightly escapades.

_Barbara: Give me 5 minutes._

Babs slipped off her nightgown, moving away from the window just in case Wonder Boy was watching. It was certainly a possibility now that he had turned thirteen, soon to be fourteen. From her dresser she took out a black cami and dark jeans.

_Stealth, he thinks we're ninjas._

The white moonlight flooded into her room like an apparition in a dream, creating pale angel's wings against her wall. She pulled the curtains apart and surveyed her backyard, searching for a good landing spot. She unlocked the window and pulled it up, carefully taking out the screen and breathing in the fresh outdoor air to fuel her adrenaline for the jump she was about to undertake.

She leapt out the window nimbly, keeping her hand on the wall as she slid down to land on the soft ground, permeated by the rainfall from earlier.

_Dick: Where are you?_

"Behind you." Dick tensed; hoping Babs wouldn't notice how white his skin had gone when she whispered those two words into his ear.

"Uh, ok… um let's go." Dick stepped away from Babs carefully out of fear she'd jump at him and scare the crap out of him… again.

Babs smirked, patting his head gently as he winced.

"Lead the way."

—-

When Dick rang the doorbell to the Drake's house, Mr. Drake had opened to door, happy to invite Dick in, not even questioning his intentions. He knew how difficult it was to get Tim to socialize with other human beings and despite it being past Tim's bedtime he wasn't about to turn away a chance for Tim to interact with people.

The house was warmly lit, the scent of snickerdoodles and vanilla frosting coated the air and made Dick's stomach growl.

"We just need to borrow Tim for a bit," Babs said with her best girl scout voice, "it's for a project and-"

"Say no more! He's in his room, as always." Tim's father, happy someone outside the internet wanted to talk to his son.

Dick and Babs dashed up the stairs, practically throwing the door open in hopes of scaring Tim senseless. Rather than finding him in front of his computer doing math equations, the boy sat with his deskchair outwards, listening to someone over the phone, an innocent grin on his lips.

"Tim are you talking to your girlfriend?" Dick teased as he reached for the phone.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Tim screamed, pulling the phone behind him only to have it grabbed by Babs.

"Stephanie sweetie, it's past your bedtime."

"Babs why are you in Tim's room?" Stephanie asked sweetly, with a tinge of jealousy in her voice at the very notion of her "big sister" being alone with the boy she happened to like quite a bit.

It amused Barbara that the little ten year old would think that a high schooler would be up to shenanigans with a fifth grader at ten o'clock at night. If anything, the likely option would be that Babs was babysitting little Timmy.

"Okay time to go!" Dick exclaimed, a little too cheerfully. Before Tim could react, Dick scooped him, bolted out of the room and down the stairs, past Mrs. Drake who was still baking, Mr. Drake who was reading, and right out the front door as Babs followed suit, hanging up the phone with a "I'll explain it later Waffle Overlord".

"They're wonderful kids, aren't they? Look how much fun Timmy has with his Big Brother," Mr. Drake said to his wife, smiling.

Both of them missed Tim's horrified expression from being touched.

—-

Dick had a copy of the key to the back door of the main building he'd swiped from Bruce's office. After donating an extensive amount of money to Gotham Academy that ultimately lead to three new departments, the school was more than happy to make a master key for the Wayne family.

"Why am I even here?" Tim asked in a small voice as the two older kids dragged him into the hallway. The lights in the school were all on, because the custodians cleaned the school every night. One false move and the three of them would be reported for trespassing and expelled for sure. Although Tim would only get a slap on the wrist being as young as he was.

"BUT IT'LL GO ON MY PERMANENT RECORD." He often said whenever Dick asked Tim to join him on of his endeavors.

"Shh," Barbara shushed him as she pulled him into another hallway where there was a blind spot for the cameras.

They reached the headmaster's office quickly, using Dick and Barbara's memories from all the times they'd been there to collect awards. It was hilarious to think of the appalled expression that would be the headmaster's face if she ever found out two of her star freshmen had broken into her office.

"Can you pick the lock?" Dick asked Barbara, taking over watch of Tim who was so scared he actually started shaking.

"Can I?" Barbara smirked, pulling bobby pins out of her hair, "One of the first things my dad taught me about criminal justice… sometimes you have to think like the criminal."

As Dick stood watch outside the door with Tim trembling near him, Babs worked on the lock, trying to maneuver the tip to just the right spot until she heard… click.

"We're in," she announced, pushing the door open.

"Nice Babs. You stand watch, I need Tim to help me access the computer."

Tim continued to shake as he stepped up to the large monitor that was the headmaster's computer. He made sure all the sound was off before pushing the power button. The screen lit up and the computer started, sending a low hum from the wires igniting signals like nerves firing warning messages to the brain. Tim could hear various warnings in his head as he knew what he was doing was illegal and the idea of getting caught increased the sweat under his pits and hands.

The initial startup of the computer always led to the login screen, which would be the most difficult part of this task since the computer asked for both the username and the password.

"All the school's usernames are formatted last name, first initial if that helps," Barbara offered from her post at the door.

Tim looked at Dick, who replied, "Amanda Waller. So it's WallerA. Don't ask me what the password would be though. I have no idea."

Tim plugged his compact computer in with a USB cord and booted it up. He opened up a programming window and pulled up an MD5 algorithm, cutting it into a quarter to give a speed boost as it cracked the password.

"The wireless encryption level is 64 bits 10 hex digits…" Tim said as he scanned the lines of code the computer generated. It finally came to a stop with four different possible passwords.

He carefully entered each one into the password box, but it wasn't until the third passcode that he actually gained access.

The desktop opened up and Tim tried to open a file.

"It's file vaulted," he said, turning to look up at Dick.

"You telling me you can't unlock it?"

"No."

Tim opened up the Cygwin program, typing commands in a *nix terminal as he tried to disable the file vault.

"I don't think you know enough Python for this. PHP won't work on this one," Dick said, taking over control of the keyboard. Tim moved over and watched as Dick did his work. One day, he would be just as good as him, maybe even better.

"Hey Dick? I'd suggest you shut off the ICMP protocol real quick before proceeding. Don't want the computer registering your activity for Ms. Waller to find when she comes back," Barbara suggested as she peered out the window, "And you might want to hurry up with this."

His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed furiously, trying to speed up the process by cutting down the algorithms a little bit. His extensive knowledge in math that came from both a natural proclivity to it as well as the years of math camp aided him immensely.

"Someone's headed this way," Barbara warned.

Dick stuck the USB drive into the computer and opened up the student database program. He typed "Artemis Crock" in the search bar and found her file, dragging it into the little icon that was his USB.

"Artemis? Why are you looking up her files?" Tim asked with his head touching Dick's, his voice barely audible despite the heavy silence.

The files started to transfer, but more slowly than he'd like and Tim's questions weren't easing the growing panic.

"We need to hide, now!" Barbara hissed.

The door burst open, by then, Dick had turned off the monitor and pulled Tim under the desk with him. Barbara had run over towards the desk and ducked under right before someone stepped into the room. Dick watched the USB drive from under the table and tried to keep his breathing steady while simultaneously trying to keep Tim, who at that moment was hyperventilating, from having an anxiety attack and fainting.

This was not worth it, definitely not worth it.

Endangering his reputation along with Babs and Tim's wasn't worth finding out if Artemis was pregnant, the whole thing had escalated to insanity. Originally, Dick viewed his little plan as a night out doing what he does best with his friends, a reason to play with computers, test out Tim's skills and see if it were really possible to break into the headmaster's computer which he had thought of as a cake walk.

_Oh God I've become an adrenaline junkie like Wally._

He could feel his heart beating against his ribs as the sound of a vital organ meeting bone pounded frenziedly in his ear. He felt like a petrified elephant with each step inching closer to the desk until… the steps started retreating.

Babs was about to crawl out, but Dick signaled her to stay under the desk with Tim. If someone was going to check the coast, it would be him. He wasn't letting Babs and Tim get in trouble for a mess he dragged them into.

But no one was there, and when he turned on the monitor, the file transfer was complete. Now they just had to get out of the school.

—-

Wendy's mouth moved to the lyrics blaring from her headphones, she's spent the whole afternoon studying for a test but with her phone continuously vibrating with texts from Tommy she couldn't stop herself from reading them and having a giggle fit over his horrible grammar. The fact he wrote about his love for her redeemed him but it also made her swoon enough to stop and daydream about their future life, a very bad thing for someone who was supposed to be studying.

"You're still on that chapter?" Megan mused. She had been working on a sewing project, anxiously awaiting a text from Conner about what movie to see tonight.

"Young love always prevails over calculus!" Wendy exclaimed. Megan smirked, putting the needle next to the strings, careful not to let it tangle.

"That's a beautiful thought Wendy but think of it like this," Megan pitched her voice higher to sound like a child, "if you fail your test your parents might kill you, and Tommy would be so sad." Wendy laughed and Megan breathed a sigh of relief, the pitch change was something she picked up from Hello Megan, it always made the audience laugh.

"I need some brain food," Wendy said, opening up the cabinet to fish out some snacks. She stepped up to her toes; at 5 feet she couldn't actually see the contents of the cabinet and relied on her sense of touch to be her eyes. Her hand closed around a cylindrical object.

"You can share this Goldfish with me!" Megan offered, pushing her cup of the snack that smiles back towards Wendy. She felt like an idiot for leaving something meant to be kept a secret in a cabinet. What with Wendy being so short and Megan so tall, she had come to conclusion Wendy would ask for Megan's assistance if she ever needed food from above and even then they had a fridge full of food.

Wendy's hand let go of what she believed to be an innocent snack and reached for Megan's cup.

"I love Goldfish!" she said, grabbing some out of the cup. Wendy's excitement was an act, she'd taken notice of the uneasy tone in Megan's voice and knew whatever was in the cabinet was give her the answer she needed.

Megan forced a smile as she made a mental note to move a few things around lest she be found out….

_And if that happens, there goes my happy ending._

—-

He'd spotted her not far down the hallway from him, her long blonde hair was a distinguishing feature as most people at the academy preferred short cuts, easier to manage than longer hair that took more time to care for. It's what led Dick to believe Artemis had a heart unmatched by most, willing to put extra care into something and not with gels or hair dyes, no her hair was natural and styled with nothing more than a few brush strokes. It was the idea of her having such long hair, and keeping it her own while still keeping it healthy, the little extra time of hers for something so small, the fact that she didn't go to an expensive hair cuttery, all of that made Dick smile. He admired her for it.

He saw her glance behind for a second before sharply turning down another hallway. He frowned but followed her anyway. He wasn't going to let her get away without speaking to her, not with all he knew now and everything he wanted to express although subtly. He couldn't very well say he'd stolen her school files just to find out if she was pregnant, it was a stupid childish thing to do and he did it more on a whim and a need to get closer to her than actual logic.

Never had Artemis been so excited to get to her science class, the very class with the two people she hated the most, well two of the three; Tuppence, aka the spawn of the devil, and _Wally_.

"Artemis!" Dick called out, she waved her hand, stepping into the class and giving him a "I'm going to be late" expression before taking her seat, yanking her notebooks out of her backpack to keep busy as she was worried Dick might try and come in to class. The last thing she wanted was a proclamation of love from him.

_Damn it, this is my fault._

Artemis wasn't a game player; she didn't like to lead guys on, fickleness in any form made her cringe. But she was being a complete flake, first kissing Dick back then holding his hand and then all of a sudden running from him like some scared little girl who'd just fallen down a rabbit hole.

After empting her backpack, Artemis started doodling on her notebook paper, drawing the Cheshire cat, one of the few doodles she'd mastered from years of practice.

"That's pretty." Artemis's left eye moved up to see the person of Wally's affection looking over her shoulder.

"Why are you spying on me?" Artemis said pulling away from her and speaking with a snarl.

"Oh I wasn't!" Megan held up her hands, shaking her head and then bowing it down at Artemis like some kawaii child from an anime.

"Uh… okay." Megan moved her head up, hoping to see a smiling Artemis willing to forgive her invasion of privacy but Artemis's had already turned her attention to another redhead, Wally. Megan's eyes moved back and forth between the two, glaring at one another.

"You're fighting?" Megan said without thinking, her fingers moved to her lips as a latent instinct to hush herself.

"Fighting isn't the right word." Artemis replied as she continued to work on her drawing, she wanted Megan to go away and leave her in peace but there was also a small, desperate part that wanted her to take a seat and hide her from the rest of the world. Her partner had yet to arrive even though the bell had rung leaving an opening for others to see Artemis, for Wally to see her.

_He wouldn't be looking, like a give a damn._

"Oh I'm sorry, is there anything I can do?" Megan clasped her hands together, looking something like a prayer gesture, her eyes were eager to do something to help; she didn't like people fighting even if they were strangers.

Artemis's mouth opened, surprised by how genuine Megan was.

"You're not from around here?" Artemis said trying to state the words but in such disbelief by Megan's kindness, phrased it as a question.

"I transferred this year! So I guess I'm a newbie." Megan was careful with the word "newbie" she'd chosen it over "new" because of that touch of sweetness the extra letters gave. She was terrified of emphasizing her presence at the academy as one not exactly typical, this being her first year despite two years away from graduation.

"Oh, me too." Artemis wanted to say something more, something that could continue the conversation and provide more insight on who Megan was, maybe even share a bit about who Artemis was.

_Hell if I know._

"Really? What grade?" The class was filled with sophomores and juniors along with a few brilliant freshman, although it didn't matter what grade Artemis was in, she could be a seventh grader and Megan would gladly accept any willingness for friendship.

"Trying to make friends today trailer trash?" Both Megan and Artemis looked over to Tuppence, she had her hands in her hair, pushing it up to make it look bigger than it was.

_Probably to hide that giant head, Artemis thought._

"Excuse me," Megan said with her hands placed on her hips and her eyes glossed with anger by the unwarranted cruel treatment Tuppence was giving Artemis, who she believed to be a new found friend, "That is not very nice and entirely uncalled for."

Tuppence rolled her eyes, flicking her fingers at Megan. If she wasn't the quarterback's girlfriend, she'd gladly hurl a million insults over her innocent act. Sadly for Tuppence, Megan was loved by the majority of the school, cross a line with her and everyone would be against her.

"Sorry Morse, didn't mean to hurt her feelings." Megan narrowed her eyes, nodding slowly. She smiled at Artemis, the lines of her eyes forming a sentence that read "I hope we become good friends"

Once Megan sat down, Tuppence leaned in close to Artemis, her lips almost against her ear.

"Of course, I doubt I could hurt the feelings of garbage." Artemis jumped from her seat, her fist rising like a tsunami on a shore.

Tuppence covered her face, crying out in pain, a loud crippling cry for a good thirty seconds when she realized Artemis's fist had not actually touched her face but had stopped an inch away from her.

"To hell with you." Artemis spat as she pushed her belongings into her bag. She didn't care if she had to skip this period for the rest of the year and flunk out, better to go to summer school than deal with this crap.

Megan started to get up, not having heard what Tuppence had said, she looked to Tuppence once Artemis left the room, nearly knocking down their teacher, Dr. Fries who looked particularly blue today, so blue that he failed to notice Artemis coming his way. Megan put her hands on her cheeks, stressed over the matter. Her eyes went to Wally for some reason, possibly the idea of Artemis in pain sent her there, something about those two…

"Today we're learning about bonding." Dr. Fries began to draw the formulas for ionic bonding on the board, but Megan could hardly focus, she could see Wally staring at the door, his own expression worried, to what Megan believed to be about Artemis, and from the way he twitched in his seat, it seemed as though he wanted to go after her.

_Go._

Megan mouthed out the small word, her head turned to his direction, her body practically falling over so he could see… but he couldn't see her, he was still looking at the door.

—-

Artemis sat by the side of the school's swimming pool, disheartened and exhausted. Between track, archery, homework and her job, things were piling up. The joy she took from reflexive verbs in Spanish class or the release of a bow dimmed and things felt… numb.

Her shoes rested next to her as she dipped her legs in the water, feeling the cold touch of it sting her skin. It was her last effort to feel alive, legally that is.

The only acceptable thing she could do was ride her motorcycle, she'd had her license for a year and half… but after the last time she rode her mother would have a heart attack, an actual heart attack from knowing her daughter was riding "death" out into the streets of Gotham. It wasn't the knife wielders of the world that her mother feared, Artemis had learned from the streets how to defend herself from knives to guns… what her mother really feared was Artemis endangering herself and she and good reason too…

_I should just drown myself in the water._

"Are you alright?" Artemis kicked her leg into the air, it swung underneath the legs of the person behind her, he fell down much like the robber had in the park, but instead of seeing a man with a knife, or even someone remotely evil, she saw a young man with gentle features, one's worn with wisdom and yet lacked any wrinkles.

"Who are you?" Kaldur rubbed the back of his head; he was eerily calm about the possible concussion.

"I'm sorry to have startled you," Kaldur moved closer to her, unsure if this was the right action but the first to come to mind, "my name is Kaldur and you looked distressed. Pardon my invasion." He moved his hand up as if to shake hands but when she did not do the same he pulled it down. It had been some time since he had talked to a female for reasons other than school.

There were several girls who found him attractive but it was irrelevant, anything that led to love was irrelevant to him.

"What are you doing here?" Artemis watched as Kaldur made a few noises, looking for words to speak but failing to come up with a good answer.

"You're skipping." She decided for him.

"No, no I have a free period, I like to… swim… like a fish." Artemis started laughing, her feet splashed in the water from her spastic movements. Had the sentence been delivered by someone with social skills, it would come off as a person making a joke and thus not worthy of Artemis's laugh because it would be a cheesy joke. However, Kaldur spoke in all seriousness, there was no trace of comedy in his voice; he really liked swimming… like a fish.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Why are you apologizing?" Artemis laughed once more before finally stopping, drops of water had fallen on their uniforms creating darker spots on the fabric.

"I'm so- I'm not the best at conversing." Artemis touched one of the wet bits, the skin on her fingers cooled under the touch of water, although it was sinking deeper into her clothes each second that passed.

"I'm Artemis, also known as trailer trash, also know as really f*ed up." Kaldur coughed at the sound of an expletive, he never used the words for his mother had taught him it wasn't the way of a gentleman and he was very much a "mama's boy" if only in the sense of keeping his mother happy, she was the only family he had. Among other things, his mother had also taught him how to respect a woman and a nickname like "trailer trash" was one he felt should not be associated with not only a woman but any human being.

"You are not trailer trash, you are a person, a living, breathing person who not only holds much more value than trash but also has a pleasant smell." Artemis chuckled quietly; the noise didn't reflect how much his comment warmed her heart.

"Thank you Kaldur, you are a very kind young man." Artemis mentally snorted, not because she didn't mean what she said but because his way of speaking, so proper and eloquent, was rubbing off on her.

"You are very much welcome." The two sat for another ten minutes, staring into the very blue water. Kaldur's sea green eyes looked brilliant with the water's reflection, like the sea itself, and with each move of the water, a small wave rose in his eyes. In turn, Artemis's gray eyes quieted the movements with each motion the water made appearing like a deepened crater, as if her eyes were the moon.

The two were very much like the moon and the ocean sitting on the tiled floor with the air smelling like chlorine and the soft swoosh of Artemis' feet, there were in a steady harmony.

"It's nice when it's quiet." Artemis said looking into the water; her voice without emotion but her face in the water shaped one of sadness.

"Sometimes, the quiet helps one think but to be completely quiet is the inevitability no human wishes to reach quickly." Kaldur was well versed in poetry and Greek mythology, he'd studied the human psyche for years; it was a hobby of his. As with Conner, he had detected Artemis had a rawness to her personality, a gritty sense of reality that left her untrusting hence her reaction to him. He was pleased that despite her reservations she had laughed and he hoped his words regarding quietness would urge her to mediate whenever she could for those quiet times. These were all Kaldur's thoughts and yet he rarely spoke them aloud, he was a boy of few words.

Artemis focused on the word "inevitability."

Death was inevitable, it was more of the "when" that people feared. Kaldur had said no one rushes to death but she disagreed, those who wanted to take their lives into their own hands often resorted to rushing all the way to the finish line instead of letting "fate" decide.

"What if someone is suicidal?" Kaldur was surprised by the question, he hadn't thought she wanted to end her life, no there was something else… he knew depression, there were warning signs in her but not the extreme…

"Are you?" He asked.

"No. Are you?" He shook his head, and it was the truth. He didn't want to die but with each day another emotion was lost, he was running out of reasons to get out of bed in the morning.

"No, and neither are you, but… you want to feel alive, don't you?" Artemis wanted to nod because he was right, she wanted to feel things, not just emotions but the climax of emotions, to be the edge of life and death and yet… she didn't. She wasn't impulsive, she thought about each decision she made, the night… months ago she made each decision… to drink… to take shot after shot… to ride her motorcycle, there were hesitations, the voice in head hoarse from screaming at her. She didn't act before thinking; she just ignored her thoughts and shushed her second-guessing in favor of the danger.

Now she could hear the little voice telling her to ask Kaldur something, no not ask but state it because Artemis felt he'd confirmed it the moment he sat down to speak with her in that tranquil, tired voice.

"And you wish you were never born." Kaldur didn't respond. There was a difference between wanting to die, the thought that provoked action to end one's life, and the wish to have never been brought into the world for it was an event that could not be undone.

_If I had never existed, it wouldn't have happened._

Artemis leaned back, laying on the poolside, wondering about the rain and how lovely it would look if the droplets hit the water, if only it would thunder right now so she wouldn't have to come up with something to say, something that would make it all better for her… friend?

"Don't we have Spanish together?" She said, hoping he would take the bait.

"Yes, 5th period."

"There's a project that requires partners, if you want to partner up, that'd be cool." Kaldur grinned; he appreciated Artemis changing the subject.

"I would like that very much."

"And we could talk… in Spanish… and in English if you need to since… I know you're struggling… with the tenses," Artemis chose her words carefully, hoping the message she wished to convey to Kaldur was making sense.

"That sounds good, thank you and the same to you although you excel in the subject… I doubt I would be very helpful." Kaldur felt as though he were peaking through the waves, into the light of the surface word where a human was calling him to shore, he could only try to speak the same language, he could only try to be useful…

"I'm going to disagree with that Kaldur, I think you're very helpful." A sweet smile passed between them as they sat watching the water move for the rest of the period, content on finding someone who enjoyed the stillness that life could bring despite the numbness, and the needs and the dark wishes to revoke life itself or tread on its edges…

_Life was beautiful when everything was still._

—-

Wally touched the lines of his bare torso; he used to take pleasure from the touch of his toned body, all of what he worked for in the past few years. He'd spent hours in the gym, running on the treadmill, lifting weights, working hard to maintain the physique society said girls would fall over themselves to touch, and to the boy who had the body… love.

"I'm an idiot." He pulled his pillow over his face, screaming into it for all his wasted years. He didn't know what was easier, staying the gawky kid who openly shared his passion of mitosis and comic book superheroes with everyone, or whoever the hell he was now.

The confidence he exuded was real; he believed in himself, he believed in what he said but maybe… maybe the role he wanted so badly was just too far-fetched for him to perform well.

"Maybe you don't have to be a jerk to be confident."

_But I'm not a jerk… why would I say that?_

He closed his eyes and rolled over on his belly, the springs of the mattress pushing down as his body changed positions, he could feel the metal coils going up and down, he imagined the spiral pieces bouncing back and forth. He could see himself as the springs, moving the world around him, influencing his reactions, all of which were made upon first thought, that is if he thought at all.

He was rash, acting in the moment, for the moment and never concerning himself with the consequences, the aftermath of his actions, his words.

He'd hurt Artemis; he could have redeemed himself by sticking up for her in class. He didn't know what Tuppence had said but he was well aware that she made life hell for Artemis, Dick had told him.

Instead of doing the right thing and telling Tuppence to shove it where the birds don't sing, he let Artemis get bullied, he sat in his chair and didn't do a damn thing to stop the bullying.

_That was me._

If anyone were to stick up for someone being tortured like that it should have been Wally, the kid with all the scars from being shoved into lockers, the panic attacks he'd get from being beaten into compact spaces and left there for a custodian to find him. The stench of urine ever so present in his mind from all the times his head had been forced down a toilet, the choking sensation from his mouth taking in the water, the piss, the terror of pushing and pulling, of not being able to breathe, or even see light, only watery darkness…

The bruises he went home with from the punches he received for things like winning first place in the science fair or chasing spiders with a magnifying glass, the black eyes, the smell of uncooked meat he'd pull from the freezer to heal the throbbing shades of purple and pink on his face…

_It was hell._

All he wanted was to be more, to be better. It's why he started running to get out of his "awkward" stage and be somebody, someone who wasn't a loser.

But he was still a loser; he didn't stick up for her and that's what made her right. Even if she said it out of anger, there was truth in the word "pathetic" because he was pathetic.

"Damn."

"Damn what?" Wally lifted his head to see his best friend carrying a grocery bag; Wally salivating at the sight of it. He was like Pavlo's dog, conditioned in such a way that every time he saw a big brown bag he expected there to be food in it, lots of food for him to eat. With Dick holding it, he knew it had to be just that. But he didn't want it; he felt like he didn't deserve to be treated with kindness… all he wanted was to spend the night self-loathing.

"Alright, so I've got chips, protein bars, apples, cookies, the whole schtick," Dick announced, setting down a myriad of different food items in front of Wally's face. Any other time he would have been ravenous and ready to devour it, the proximity of the food wasn't helping…

_I didn't help her; I don't deserve to eat._

"Dude… You okay?"

"What? Yeah, I just…" he could see her being berated over and over, the image stuck in his mind like a ghost haunting the person that had done them wrong.

"Waaaaally. Answer me." Dick flicked his friend's forehead hoping to get Wally to look up but he didn't move. Dick shrugged his shoulders not wanting to push him… that is until he saw the scars on Wally's back, burnmarks a few weeks old. He knew the story but had not yet seen the damage. He knew how Wally got it and for some reason he felt certain that the person involved with that event had something to do with Wally's current state.

_Artemis._

The girl who'd brought Dick plenty of trouble too. With all her avoidance he wanted to give up any romantic notions, whether real ones or those born out vulnerability. He'd come over to Wally's dorm to play Halo: Reach, sip a few sodas and catch the latest episode celebrity hockey, now it looked like he was going to talk about her, have to think about her and instead of questioning his own feelings he'd be helping Wally sort out his.

It was Shakespeare who had said "the course of true love never did run smooth." Problem was, he didn't know what course led to love and if the end of that path was Artemis…

"I suck at life. I just… I suck," Wally groaned, tossing an apple into the air and catching it, the veins in his arms moving with the extension. Wally groaned again, the veins had become more apparent over the years from the countless hours he'd spent at the gym, shaping his body to the celebrities girls drooled over. He hated it.

"And…?" Dick prompted, snatching the apple away from Wally. He wanted Wally to come out with it, what was on his mind, why he was upset and if it were about Artemis… he'd have to manage.

"And what?" Wally narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"And why do you suck?" Dick took a bite out of the apple, listening closely to the sound of the fruit in his mouth more so than Wally's next answer. He was afraid of what it might be; he'd gone from indifference to jealousy in seconds.

_I blame hormones._

And then Wally said the name he'd been expecting all along.

"Artemis." Things cleared in Dick's mind right then, hearing his best friend say her name as if he were heartbroken, despondent and crestfallen.

"I can give you her number… if you need to talk to her." Dick pulled out his phone, he didn't have to scroll far or really at all, Artemis was on the top of the list.

"Dick-" Wally didn't want her number because it meant he wanted her, he wanted her in a way that wasn't platonic and that was wrong for two reasons. One, he'd acted like a complete a*hole to her and therefore to act on his feelings would be stupid… and he didn't have those feelings… no he just… he wanted to be her hero… he should have been her hero… and he failed her.

The other reason was Dick, his best friend… Dick who liked Artemis that way.

"Dude, it's cool. It wouldn't have worked out between her and me." Dick copied the number from his phone and pasted it to a text message, then sent it to Wally and tucked the phone away in his jacket.

"You should talk to her… you hurt her." Dick shouldn't have said the last three words; he only did it as a warning to Wally. He'd hurt Artemis before and if he was going to try something with her he wanted him to do it the right way, he didn't want to see her cry, not with all he knew about her past…

"I know." Wally replied apologetically, he felt like he was breaking Dick's heart…

"But Wally, you're not the bad guy… you saved her remember? What bad guy would do that?"

With that, Dick left the room but he didn't go far. He slid against a wall around the corner, all he could think about were his parents falling… and then he was falling too. All his senses shut down, no sight to see the bodies breaking, no hearing to cringe at the bones snapping, no touch to feel their coldness of their bodies on the circus floor.

_Is this why I'm so screwed up?_

He couldn't decide what to love, how to love, if he should love. What was the point when life could take away everything you loved in an instant?

_Maybe… if I could bring us all together… maybe I wouldn't be… like this… broken?_


End file.
